


Speed & Serendipity

by Bugggghead, Peyton_0727



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Blind Date, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Riverdale, Romance, Shameless Smut, bughead - Freeform, jughead is a cop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-04-19 02:12:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 45,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14226858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bugggghead/pseuds/Bugggghead, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peyton_0727/pseuds/Peyton_0727
Summary: Betty nearly lost her job when she got a speeding ticket in her boss’s car. Her best friend’s idea of taking her mind off of it is to take her on a blind double date with her latest boyfriend and his best friend. There were a few hiccups in her best friend’s master plan. First, Betty didn’t know she was even being set up. Second, her date didn’t know either.What could go wrong?OrWhat happens when Betty’s surprise blind date turns out to be the cop who ticketed her earlier that day and neither one of them are happy about it.





	1. The Set-Up

**Author's Note:**

> We are both SO excited for you guys to read this!

Every officer has different reasons for joining the police force. For Jughead Jones, it was atonement, it was a new beginning, a chance to change the life he was destined to live if a drastic change hadn’t been made.

 

He was from a small town in upstate New York. From afar, people assumed Riverdale was a typical suburban paradise; tree-lined streets held large two-story houses with yards wrapped in white picket fences. During the summers, children would spend entire days playing in the safety of town until the street lights came on. For the north side of town, nothing bad ever happened. Their defenses were seemingly impenetrable as they sat in their glass houses on the hill and enjoyed the relative normalcy of upper middle-class life.

 

Jughead, on the other hand, grew up on the south side of town. The south side of town only talked about in whispers and hushed tones behind closed doors in the north side. The south side was separated by railroad tracks that acted more like walls than trailways. Poverty and struggle were the everyday standard accepted by the members of Sunny Side Trailer Park where he grew up. Often times, he would rely on his friends’ generosity and ‘Serpent hospitality’ for his next meal or a roof over his head while he slept.

 

Jughead’s dad was a powerful man on their side of town. He was the leader of the South Side Serpents, a local gang tasked with enforcing social justice where the police force fell short. His father was widely respected, but even more widely feared. If someone said the name FP Jones II on the north side of town, doors shut, parents’ hands covered their children’s ears and fear lingered long after the words were released.

 

His father’s position in the gang afforded him certain privileges throughout his childhood. No one dared to mess with the Serpent Prince, as he was dubbed in the South Side Schools. Protection, however, only lasted so long. Jughead became comfortable being adjacent to the gang. Full Serpent initiation never happened before a member’s 18 th birthday and Jughead didn’t wind up sticking around to go through with it. All through his younger years, it was assumed he would naturally step up to be his father’s right hand until the inevitable hand off of the presidential responsibilities. The plan was more implied than expressly stated, but it was the plan nonetheless. At least it  _ was _ until FP was arrested shortly after Jughead’s 16 th birthday.

 

A local boy from the northside had been brutally murdered. Jason Blossom was heir to the Blossom fortune that funded the crooked police force in Riverdale and when he went missing over the Fourth of July, his father—Clifford Blossom—relentlessly pressured the police to bring his captor to justice. They immediately zeroed in on the serpents and dug through every piece of discarded trash on the south side attempting to pin it on someone. FP was on their radar from the very beginning and when they found Jason’s body wrapped in a jacket with FP’s DNA on it, he was carted off before Jughead could blink an eye. 

 

FP claimed innocence from the start with Jughead. He remembers distinctly the look in his father’s eye when he asked point blank if he did it.  _ ‘I’m no killer’ _ his father had replied. In hindsight, Jughead knew now what it meant. No, he father certainly wasn’t Jason Blossom’s actual murderer. However, FP was involved in the aftermath. The details of how FP disposed of the body, who he disposed of the body for, and why he did it were still largely uncertain. His father remained tight lipped through the entire trial and didn’t even fight the prison sentence suggested. While FP may not have been the one to pull the trigger, he certainly wasn’t innocent. He may not have been a killer but he wasn’t exactly spotless either.

 

His entire world fell apart without his father around. The Serpents were still watching over him, but it became increasingly difficult with his reassignment to a foster family on the north side. The checked in on him off and on for about a year before the visits ceased all together.

The Andrews took Jughead in a few weeks after his father’s guilty verdict was delivered. They lived in a large, cookie-cutter home on a manicured lawn on the north side of town, complete with its very own white picket fence and porch swing. Mary and Fred Andrews, however, were nothing like Jughead expected. They never looked down on him for his unfortunate circumstances and after a period of adjustment, they brought him into the family fold as if he was their own. Their son, Archie Andrews, was Jughead’s best friend. The two bonded in a way only brothers would and despite their obvious juxtaposition of appearances, were fiercely loyal to one another.

 

Archie was the typical All-American boy. He was captain of the high school football team, made average grades, and spent his time chasing after any woman who looked his way. He was deemed a player in high school, much to his own dismay. Jughead knew Archie didn’t date multiple girls out of malice or to be sneaky. He simply loved women and found his attention fleeting from one to the next faster than they shed their own affections. Archie never cheated on his girlfriends per se, because he never really had girlfriends. He casually dated around most of his life and only seriously dated one or two girls in high school who were lucky enough to capture not just his eye, but his heart for a little while at a time. At 25 years old, his record for longest relationship was a grand total of 6 months.

 

Jughead, on the other hand, hardly dated at all—casual or serious. He had one serious girlfriend just after high school when he and Archie first moved to New York. Her name was Sabrina Spellman. She was tall with blonde hair and green eyes, objectively beautiful to most, but what caught Jughead’s attention was her quick wit. Anyone could be pretty, he thought, but it took more than looks to willingly spend time with someone other than his best friend. They dated for about a year and half, eventually separating when Jughead discovered she had been unfaithful. She claimed he had been distant, and she wasn’t wrong, but no amount of excuses made up for the ache he felt at the revelation. She slept with one of her professors while they were in college. They separated after that and cut ties as if it never happened. Jughead wasn’t a saint after the relationship ended, by any means, he had his fair share of drunken mistakes and short flings, but much like Archie, nothing ever seemed to stick.

 

Archie went to the police academy because of his own family’s injustices with the law. Fred was shot in their senior year by a hooded assailant in their hometown. It wound up being connected to a rash of murders eventually attributed to the black hood. Throughout the investigation, though, the police spent far less time investigating the person who hurt Fred than the friends did. Jughead and Archie had teamed up then to investigate and ultimately solve it before the local police cracked it case. It only seemed natural when Archie chose to go to the police academy, Jughead followed. His own run ins with the crooked law enforcement in Riverdale fueled the fire of his decision.

 

-

 

Now, at 25 years old, the best friends were both officers for the NYPD. They lived together in New York and were lucky enough to be tasked together in the NYPD as partners. Their delusions of grandeur and justice were squashed by the reality of their mundane day to day activities. Sitting in a cruiser, running radar, attempting to rack up speeding tickets to meet their monthly quota was all in a typical day’s work. This wasn’t quite what either had in mind upon joining, but both had been told they had to pay their dues to move up. Today was especially boring for Jughead. He hated traffic shifts without a partner and Archie was off on another assignment for the day.

 

-

 

A sleek black car whipped around the cruiser on the highway. The speed limit was 45 mph but the radar registered it moving at 62 mph. Jughead flashed his lights and tore out of his space between the trees to chase the ridiculously expensive piece of machinery that was flying down the road. As soon as he caught up to it and signaled the siren, the driver pulled over.  _ If they can afford that car, they can sure afford the ticket they’re about to get _ , he thought sourly. Growing up in poverty meant the ostentatious display of wealth that car symbolized was offending to him purely on principle.

 

The windows were tinted a dark black and Jughead was surprised when the driver’s side rolled down revealing a petite blonde in the driver’s seat. Her hair was up in a well-manicured ponytail and she was dressed impeccably with a collared sweater complete with jewels.

 

“Do you know why I pulled you over today, mam?” The line coming out as well rehearsed as ever. After asking it a thousand times, it was second nature to Jughead.

 

“No, sir. I don’t.” She attempted to bat her eyelashes and Jughead felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips at her audacity.  _ She knows damn well she was speeding,  _ he thought.

 

“Really? You don’t have any idea why I would possibly pull you over right now?” He didn’t typically engage in conversation with the people he ticketed, but he just couldn’t help himself.

 

“No. No idea at all.” Her hands were crossed in her lap and her innocent doe eyes were a stark contrast to the obvious lies falling from her lips.  _ They looked awfully soft,  _ he thought fleetingly before snapping his attention back to the matter at hand.

 

“Okay. Well miss, you were going 55 in a 30. I need to see your license and registration, please.”

 

She reached over into what appeared to be an expensive purse and pulled out her ID, fetching the registration from the glovebox as well and handing them over. He took them from her and told her to wait in the car while he ran her name in the database. Jughead knew most of these types had clean records and bank accounts that never bounced the insurance payments causing lapse. He was sure there was no trouble with her documents but wanted to be safe anyway.

 

Elizabeth Cooper was her name and she was, as he suspected, squeaky clean. The car was registered to another name but it was all legal and he walked back around to her window prepared to give her back the license and registration along with a ticket he had already written.

 

“Okay Miss Cooper, care to explain to me why the car you’re driving isn’t registered to your name?” He hadn’t handed anything back to her and quirked his eyebrow in her direction waiting for her answer.

 

“It’s my boss’ car. Can I go now?” Her tone was dismissive and Jughead was getting irritated.

 

“No, mam. You’re going to need to sign this ticket here for me before I can let you go.”

 

“WHAT?! Are you serious right now? You’re really going to give me a ticket for that?” The flirty façade from earlier faded away and she sounded offended. Jughead’s irritation flared at her tone.

 

“Yes. I most certainly am. Got it right here. Now sign on this line.” He pointed to the ticket and she didn’t move to grab the pen.

 

“I refuse. Tell me Officer….” Her eyes zeroed in on his badge. “Officer Jones, tell me when you had your radar calibrated last, please.”

 

“Uh…” He was dumbstruck by her boldness and didn’t have time to answer before she spoke again.

 

“That’s what I thought. You see there are a few reasons I don’t think this is going to stick. First, your radar has to be calibrated frequently to be used as a reliable source for a ticket. Second, you were lying in wait, you set up a speed trap—which is borderline illegal. You see my best friend’s father is a sheriff and you can’t pull one over on me.” An air of smugness radiated from her and Jughead was getting more pissed off with each word out of her mouth.

 

“Well, Miss Cooper, my radar was calibrated last week and I wasn’t lying in wait, you just happened to recklessly speed by me and I felt the need, as a matter of public safety, to slow you down. Now here’s your ticket. If you don’t sign it, I’ll see you in court. Have a nice day.” He sneered before turning back to the cruiser.

 

He didn’t want to let one privileged girl ruin the rest of his long day ahead. He had plans after work with Archie to meet his newest fling at a bar. He had begrudgingly agreed to go after Archie claimed she was ‘the one’. Jughead knew Archie had met dozens of iterations of ‘the one’ over the years. Each falling to the wayside before he was ever introduced to them. Veronica seemed different, though, or maybe it was Archie. He had been dating her for a few weeks and Jughead hadn’t seen any other women in or out of the apartment since she was first mentioned. He figured his best friend may have finally decided to try settling down and far be it for him to deny Archie the joy of introducing his girlfriend and his best friend.

 

***

 

When Elizabeth Cooper was 16 years old, she had plans. She planned to graduate high school with all honors, to be class valedictorian-if her best friend Kevin didn’t beat her to it, she planned to attend Columbia University, major in journalism, and finally she planned on getting an internship at a famous newspaper. At just 16 years old Betty Cooper had this all laid out for herself among other small goals she had set forth in her formative years. 

 

Betty grew up in a cookie-cutter house, complete with it’s own white picket fence located on a picturesque tree lined street. Her mother, Alice Cooper was the definition of a Stepford Wife and always pushed Betty to be absolutely perfect. Alice wanted her daughters to have good grades, clear complexions and be involved in at least five extracurriculars at any given time. She was by all definitions a very controlling parent. When Betty was younger, she always thought that her mother did all those things because she wanted what was best for her. However, after Betty’s older sister Polly ended up pregnant in the middle of her senior of high school and eloped, her mother’s push for perfection went from maternal to abusive. Her mother started commenting on her weight, picking out her outfits for her and cutting her curfew short. The constant mantra, “Don’t be like your sister Polly” playing over and over again in Betty’s mind. At one point, she idly wondered if she should put it on a banner and hang it outside their house. 

 

Her father, Hal Cooper was absolutely no help at all. Betty could see in his eyes that he didn’t always agree with Alice’s campaign for perfection. When she was small, her father would stick up for her and tell her mother to let her be. Her mother would immediately attack and start screaming at her father and as the years went on, he would intervene less and less. Especially after Polly became a teen mom and moved out of the house. Something about watching his first born child, his baby daughter, get pregnant and eloping had changed Hal Cooper somehow. He was angry at first, though he eventually became withdrawn and before Betty knew it, he was working more often and coming home for dinner less. 

 

Despite all of this, Betty kept her chin held high and persevered. She couldn’t fathom the idea of falling apart, after all, she was the glue holding her family together. Betty continued with life as usual despite the turmoil going on her own home. She ran the student newspaper, she was on the school dance committee, she tutored. All so that one day she could graduate with perfect grades and go off to Columbia University like her parents always dreamed of. 

 

And Betty did have all of those things- the good grades, the spotless resume and her acceptance letter to Columbia. Although, Kevin did beat her for valedictorian (by an 8th of a point she might add). Betty’s hard work had paid off and her life was perfect. 

 

That was, of course, until it wasn’t.

 

Betty had come home for the weekend a month before her graduation from Columbia. She had originally been annoyed because she had finals coming up in a few weeks which included her extremely important Capstone project. Her plans for that weekend were to shut herself up in a private study room in the library and work on her project. She also needed to finish off her applications for internships to various news outlets scattered across the city. But her mother had begged her to come home, claiming that she had something important to tell her that simply couldn’t be said over the phone. 

 

Betty hadn’t been able to get ahold of either of her parents when the bus pulled into the station of her tiny hometown in Hudson Valley, New York. Instead, she asked her best friend Kevin to pick her up. When she walked through the doors of her childhood home, it had felt empty to her and eerily quiet. At the time, Betty hadn’t thought anything of it. She had just gone up to her bedroom to take a nap, figuring her mother would wake her when she returned. 

 

It wasn’t until about an hour later when someone was banging on the front door of her house that Betty registered something was wrong. Flying down the staircase, she opened the door to find Kevin’s dad, Sheriff Keller standing on her fronch porch. For as long as she lived, Betty knew she would never forget that image. Sheriff Keller was on her front porch, hat in his hands with an absolutely desolate look on his face. 

 

Alice Cooper had been killed a few hours before by a drunk driver that ran a red light. According the coroner, she had died on impact which brought Betty a the tiniest bit of relief.  

 

It had taken Betty 48 hours to track down her father. The reason? Hal Cooper decided to leave his wife 2 weeks prior and ran off with a girl that younger than Betty, selling the family newspaper business on his way out of town. 

 

To make matters worse, due to the timing of her mother’s unexpected death, Betty didn’t make it to her finals or finish her Capstone project. The school had been the least sympathetic about the situation, telling Betty her only option was to take an incomplete and repeat the courses the following semester. Betty had been devastated, all her hard work to ensure she graduated summa cum laude went down the drain. There also was suddenly no hope of her getting an internship; she wasn’t going to graduate on time anymore. 

 

Betty had fallen into a deep depression. All of her friends and family told her not to worry. They told her that, yes, it would suck having to repeat the semester after all her hard work, but it wasn’t the end of the world. After a while, Betty just started tuning them out and nodding wordlessly. She knew that logically, what her friends and family said was true; but deep down she didn’t see the point in trying anymore. Her mother was gone, taking Betty’s innate motivation to be  _ perfect  _ with her.  

 

All of these things led Betty to her present situation - she was pulled over on the side of the road in her boss’s very expensive black Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. 

 

Betty imagined that when she got an internship somewhere with either a newspaper or magazine company, she would have to be someone’s assistant. However, her current job was not an internship, nor was it at a news outlet of any kind like she (or was it her parents?) had always dreamed.  

 

About six months ago, Betty was working as a barista at the local Starbucks located around the corner from her apartment. She was absolutely miserable and even though her best friend, Veronica Lodge, who she had known since high school, was letting her live rent free, Betty couldn’t just sit home and stare at the TV anymore. She figured it’d be mindless work and she would get to meet different people while she worked there. The customers adored her. Betty was born and bred to be a perfectionist and before she knew it, she had the regulars’ orders memorized. One of those regulars happened to be a man named Drew Bates. 

 

Drew Bates had recently been on Forbes Magazine’s “The Richest & Most Successful CEO’s Under 40” list. He was medium height, tan skinned, fairly attractive, and one of the richest people in New York City. Betty didn’t even know who he was until he offered her a job one Saturday afternoon. Betty had been rendered speechless, she had no idea what to say. Drew said that he had been through 10 personal assistants in the last month and that she seemed to be really organized and had her shit together (his words, not hers). He gave her his business card and told her to call him on Monday. If she was interested in taking the offer, then they could sit down and discuss the details. 

 

Betty went home that night and seriously thought it over. She had dropped out of Columbia, she had no intentions of going back to school. But she thought that maybe if she had a job for someone successful like Drew, it would be better than her current predicament. More importantly, she wouldn’t have to get sympathetic looks from people she used to know when they asked what she was doing with her life post-graduation. So, in the end, she had taken the job. 

 

There had been an insane learning curve but Betty picked everything up quickly, as she always did. In the end, Drew had complimenting her by saying that hiring her was ‘the best decision he ever made’. 

 

Betty rolled her eyes at the thought. Of course he said that, Betty did absolutely everything for him. Including, but not limited to, getting Drew a latte while picking up his dry cleaning and dropping off important papers clear across town with nearly no notice. 

 

Betty used to take the subway for these things but it always took too long for Drew’s liking. He insisted that she take his car to run his future errands after a particularly long trip one day. However, there had been two rules: 1- don’t scratch it and 2- don’t get a ticket. Originally, Betty had laughed the rules off. That was, until now, when she had actually gotten a ticket. 

 

Betty was driving back from a company uptown when the speed limit quickly changed from 50 mph to 30 mph in a span of 10 feet. She had already been going 55 mph, so by the time she noticed the speed limit sign and slowed down, red and blue lights flashed behind her. The anxiety and stress alone about what her boss would say had put her completely on edge. She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white in a vain attempt to stop her from giving in to her latest habit of sinking her fingernails into the palms of her hands. 

 

_ Breathe, Betty, breathe. Try to stay calm, maybe he’ll let you off.  _ Betty thought, attempting to console herself. In high school and throughout college, all of her peers would describe her as having a bright, bubbly personality, so Betty was hoping she could get herself out of this ticket with her girlish charm. 

 

How terribly wrong she had been. 

 

Between the anxiety and pure fear that she was going to get fired, Betty had forgotten about being polite and personable the second the officer that pulled her over was rude to her. She couldn’t deny, to herself anyway, that yes she had been speeding but setting up a speed trap like that was bordering on illegal. 

 

Kevin’s dad was the Sheriff in their hometown, so she knew a thing or two about being pulled over for speeding. Kevin’s dad had even had gone as far as to teach her some tips and tricks on how to get out of potential tickets - including asking the officer the last time his speed gun had been calibrated. 

 

When she first rolled down her window, none of this had even been on Betty’s mind. She was just going to give the officier her best smile and hopefully get out of it. However, the officer had been an absolute jerk and for no good reason! Alice Cooper did not raise her daughter to be pushed around by a police officer on a power trip. From the second the first scoff came out of his mouth, all bets were off. In retrospect, it hadn’t gotten her anywhere and now Betty was walking home with the ticket in her work bag almost burning a hole straight through the bottom. 

 

Luckily, her boss didn’t fire her but he had been  _ FURIOUS _ . He screamed at her for the better part of 15 minutes, shamelessly reminding her that she was an ivy league drop out and if it wasn’t for him she’d still be serving overpriced espresso to hipsters. 

 

Betty kept her face emotionless and was able to remain stoic throughout the whole thing. But once she got out onto the street, her cheeks still flushed from the pure embarrassment she felt from being reamed out by her boss. Her face twisted painfully as she held back the sobs that were threatening to beat their way straight out of her throat. Betty clenched her fists, her nails digging deeply into the palms of her hands as she prayed that the pain would stop her from full out spiraling on the streets of New York before she got back to the privacy of her apartment. 

 

Tears were already streaming down her cheeks as she stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to her apartment, clumsily fishing the keys out of her bag. Betty took a deep steadying breath and silently prayed that her best friend Veronica wasn’t home from work yet. She unlocked the door and slowly opened it and was relieved to at least see the front room of their apartment empty. If Veronica was in her bedroom, Betty could potentially make it into her room and lock the door before Veronica had a chance to question her. She decided to chance it and quietly tiptoed across the apartment towards her bedroom. Of course, because her day was already turning out to be a shit show, Veronica came out of her room just as Betty was about to pass it. 

 

“Hey B! I didn’t hear you come in. How was your-” Veronica’s voice trailed off as she saw the current state of her best friend. “Betty? Betty what’s wrong?” Concern was etched in her voice. 

 

Betty bit painfully into her bottom lip and just shook her head as she went into the closest room with a lock, the bathroom. She locked the door quickly behind her so Veronica couldn’t push in behind her and the dam finally broke. Betty turned on the tap, sat down on the toilet seat lid and sobbed hopelessly with her head in her hands. She could hear Veronica calling to her from the other side of the door but she didn’t care. Betty knew the running water wouldn’t drown out the sound of her crying but she just couldn’t stand the idea of anyone, even Veronica, watching her sob. 

 

Even after her mother’s accident and the funeral, Betty didn’t shed a single tear in front of anyone. Her mother instilled in her at a very young age that deep emotions, the type that made you cry, were meant to be felt in private. When Betty was four years old, her mother enrolled her into a little girl’s recreational cheerleading team. It was silly, Betty and her teammates could barely keep formation, let alone do any of the routines she pulled off later on in high school. However, Betty loved being on the team, not because she enjoyed cheerleading but because being on a cheerleading team and being good at it gained her the attention she so desperately craved from her mother. One day during practice, Betty was chasing after another girl and ended up tripping and skinning her knee. She remembered it clearly, the jagged asphalt biting into her skin immediately drawing blood. Betty had started to cry from the pain and when her mother ran over she expected her to take Betty into her arms and comfort her like the other moms did. Instead, Alice stood Betty up and snapped at her to stop crying. 

 

_ Stop blubbering Elizabeth! You can cry later! We don’t want any of these girls to think you’re weak!  _

 

Betty had been so shocked by her mother’s cold reaction that she did stop crying. She wiped her cheeks with the sleeves of her uniform as her bottom lip pushed out a little and quivered. 

 

Veronica’s insistent banging on the bathroom door knocked Betty out of her reverie.  

 

“ELIZABETH COOPER IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS DOOR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL BREAK IT DOWN!!!” Veronica roared from the other side of the door. 

 

“I’ll be right there Ronnie!” Betty yelled, trying not to sound upset. 

 

“I’m giving you 60 seconds B and then I am coming in there! You know I don’t care if you cry!” Veronica said. 

 

Betty sighed, and then grabbed a few tissues from behind her and blew her nose. She knew Veronica breaking down the door was not an empty threat. Betty got up to survey her appearance in the bathroom mirror and froze when she saw streaks of bright red blood across her cheeks. She squinted at her appearance, confused as to the source of it. She gasped as realization dawned on her and she looked down at her hands. Betty knew that pushing her nails into her skin to inflict pain on herself was bad but she had never drawn blood before. This time, bright red beads slowly dripped from her hands staining her bubble bath pink gel manicure. Fear gripped her chest, had she really done this to herself? 

 

Veronica banged on the door again, “Betty!!!” 

 

Betty snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at her hands.

 

“Shit, shit, shit!” Betty whispered harshly to herself as she began to quickly wash her hands and clean her face. Once she was done, Betty immediately opened the door. 

 

“Geez Ronnie!” Betty said to her friend, feigning exasperation. “Calm down would you?” 

 

Veronica glared at her, “I’m sorry! But you kind of scared me Betty, I’ve never seen you like that before.” 

 

“I’m fine.” Betty said rolling her eyes trying to push past her friend. 

 

Veronica let her go with a huff but after a beat she said, “Bullshit.” 

 

Betty walked over to the couch and sat down, groaning as she went. “I just had a terrible day that’s all.” 

 

Veronica walked over and took a seat next to her. “Betty we all have terrible days. It’s ok to be human and be upset about a crummy day.” 

 

“I know.” Betty said automatically. She was used to Veronica trying to knock down the walls Betty always built up around herself. 

 

“What happened? Was your boss a jerk again?” Veronica probed, concern evident in her voice. 

 

Betty sighed, “He was, but I deserved it.” 

 

“Oh?” 

 

“I got a speeding ticket.” Betty admitted sullenly. 

 

Veronica snorted. “That’s it? Please! I’ve gotten plenty of those!” 

 

Betty sighed in frustration. She knew Veronica didn’t do it on purpose, but sometimes the obviously privileged way Veronica was raised could be quite irritating. 

 

“It was in Drew’s car Veronica! Drew had two rules for me when he asked me to drive his car- TWO!” Betty held out two fingers to emphasize her point. “Don’t scratch the paint and don’t get pulled over for any reason!” 

 

Veronica seemed to wither away from Betty’s outburst. “So how did you get pulled over?” 

 

“It was so stupid! The cop had clearly set up a speed trap for me and-” 

 

“Tell me about this cop! Was he cute?!” Veronica chirped.

 

The image of Officer Jones’s cerulean blue eyes, dark wavy hair and smug face flashed through Betty’s mind. Now that she had time to think about it, cute probably wasn’t the right word - dangerously attractive was more like it. Her mind started to drift off to inappropriate places, think about what Officer Jones could do with her with his handcuffs. Betty blushed involuntarily as Veronica laughed and excitedly clapped her hands together. 

 

“Oh he was wasn’t he?!” Veronica exclaimed. 

 

Betty rolled her eyes, “Ok, I have to admit he was pretty damn hot but that’s beside the point!” Betty said throwing her hands up in frustration. 

 

“Right, right. Ok, so he pulled you over and then what happened?” 

 

“He was the definition of a smug arrogant asshole!” Betty said, her voice raising an octave. “It was like he had already made up his mind about me before I even rolled down the window!” 

 

Veronica tsked, shaking her head. “You know, it cops like him that give my Archiekins a bad name!” 

 

Betty groaned internally,  _ Oh god here we go. _

 

Veronica had met her current fling “Archiekins” at the gym a few weeks prior. Betty was originally surprised, Veronica didn’t usually pick up guys at the gym. However, after their first date she was head over heels and for the last 23 days Archie Andrews was literally the only thing Veronica could talk about. Tonight for example, Veronica had begged her to come with her to a local bar near Archie’s precinct. She was going to meet some of Archie’s work friends and told Betty that she absolutely could not go alone. 

 

After she and Veronica discussed the situation at great length, Veronica deemed Betty’s boss a heartless asshole and went off to call her dad. Veronica said that his lawyers would gladly take care of her ticket and that her dad would arrange it. 

 

An hour later, Betty was sitting on a bar stool in a dimly lit sports bar nursing a jack and ginger. Normally, Betty didn’t drink but after the day she had, she felt like a strong drink was warranted. Even though Veronica’s gushing over her new beau made Betty want to gag, she was kind of excited to meet the boy that had stolen her best friend’s heart. 

 

“Archie just texted me, he was waiting for his friend to finish some paperwork but they’re on their way over now.” 

 

Betty had to admit that she was a little nervous to meet Archie’s colleagues, especially because one of them was best friends with the guy Veronica was head over heels for. Betty and Veronica did not have similar taste men at all. If the type of guys Veronica was interested in were earth, Betty’s type of guy would be Pluto. She knew if Archie and Veronica continued on their current trajectory, it was very possible the four of them could be spending a lot of time together in the near future.

 

“Ronnie!” said a masculine voice from behind them, “Sorry we’re late, Jug got caught up at the end of shift.” 

 

Betty turned to see a very muscular redhead pull Veronica into his arms and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. 

 

“No worries! I had Betty here to keep me company.” Veronica said smiling at him. 

 

Archie looked over at Betty and smiled warmly at her. “You must be the infamous Betty, I’m Archie. Veronica has told me so much about you.” 

 

Betty smirked and stuck out her hand to shake his, “All good things I hope.” 

 

Archie gave her a boyish grin, “Of course.” 

 

Betty stared blankly at the two of them for a moment, “Where is everyone else you work with?” 

 

Veronica cleared her throat, “Oh, right. Archie where’s your friend you promised to bring?” 

  
  
  


“Oh Jughead?” Archie said searching the crowd. Betty couldn’t help follow where Archie was looking, hoping to get a glimpse of the man in question. “He’s right there, he’s coming over now.” 

 

Betty’s eyes landed on a tall, lean, but extremely well built guy heading their direction. His hair was covered by a strange grey shaped beanie but when their eyes locked, there was no mistaking who Betty was staring at. 

 

Betty groaned, “You have got to be kidding me!” 

 

“What?” Veronica asked, clearly confused.

 

Officer Jones walked over to their table. “What are you doing here?” he said in contempt. 

 

Veronica and Archie looked between Betty and Jughead as they were trying to piece together how they knew each other. Veronica’s pristinely plucked eyebrows raised to her hairline as she started to realize who he might be, causing her laugh. 

 

“Oh my god! Is Jughead the hot asshole that gave you the ticket earlier?!” 

 

Betty crossed her arms and returned Jughead’s scornful expression. 

 

It was Archie’s turn to laugh as he turned to face Jughead. “Oh my god! Betty’s the blonde brat from earlier today?” 

  
  
  



	2. The Ugly Truth

_ “Oh my god! Is Jughead the hot asshole that gave you the ticket earlier?!”  _

 

_ Betty crossed her arms and returned Jughead’s scornful expression.  _

 

_ It was Archie’s turn to laugh as he turned to face Jughead. “Oh my god! Betty’s the blonde brat from earlier today?”  _

 

* * *

__

Jughead turned to glare at his best friend. Yes, Betty  _ was _ the blonde brat from earlier. He looked back over at Betty and saw irritation - or was it annoyance - flash behind her eyes. Her eyes were a deep shade of emerald green and Jughead caught himself staring for a few seconds too long before he forced himself to look at Archie, effectively breaking their gaze.

 

Jughead didn't want to dignify Archie with a verbal response so instead, he simply nodded. Archie and Veronica busted out laughing in unison as Jughead attempted to look anywhere but her entrancing eyes again. He figured she'd still be seething. He was still caught up a bit. She called him an asshole, a hot one at that, but an asshole nonetheless. 

 

“Ronnie, go grab us all a table and we'll be right behind you. Gotta grab drinks.” Archie winked at her before placing a light kiss on the top of Veronica’s head.  

 

The girls turned around to find a table, leaving Jughead and Archie alone for a minute by the bar to order their drinks. 

 

“What the fuck, man?” Jughead finally broke the silence with an irritable tone.

 

Archie raised his hands in a defensive manner and lightly chuckled.

 

“The truth? Veronica and I were trying to set you up with her best friend, Betty. I swear I didn’t know she was the girl you told me about on the way here. You’ve been single for a while, bro” He added the last part with a hint of concern.

 

Jughead groaned loudly and grabbed his Jack and Coke, taking a deep drink and draining the glass before waving at the bartender for a refill. It was going to be a long night, that much he knew. The level of intoxication required to deal with said night was still a mystery but he was on a mission to find out. 

 

Jughead had been single for a long time, that much was true. But Jughead wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. He certainly didn’t want Archie setting him up with Veronica’s best friend. 

 

Both Veronica and Betty looked as if they just walked off the runway. Their clothes were clearly expensive and the two of them simply radiated wealth. Betty may have been pretty but the snobby demeanor he knew her to have was a huge red flag for Jughead. He had been judged most of his life based on outward appearances and in turn, he tended to do the same. Judging by the earlier encounter with Betty herself, Jughead knew his assumptions weren’t that far off anyway. He couldn’t think of a single scenario where their current set-up could have a favorable outcome.  

 

“So you’re telling me you set me up on a blind date with your girlfriend’s best friend and thought it would be a good idea not to tell me until we got here?” Jughead knew his summary was accurate but he wanted to drive the point home to his friend that it was far from an ideal situation.

 

“Pretty much.” Archie replied, swinging an arm over Jughead’s shoulder and guiding them toward the girls. “Besides, she’s gorgeous Jug and it’s just one night. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

-

 

The girls chose a booth, leaving Betty and Jughead sitting awkwardly next to each other. Betty pressed herself into the corner, cramming her shoulder into the wall in an attempt to put as much distance as possible between them. 

 

Jughead barely slid into the booth, his outer leg nearly hanging off the seat. There was more than a foot between them and while it was still too close for either of their comforts, it was as far apart as they could reasonably be in that moment. The two of them were radiating hostility.

 

Veronica and Archie were disgustingly affectionate across the table and Betty shifted uncomfortably in the booth seat. When they came up for air, Veronica surveyed their positions and laughed aloud.

 

“He’s not going to bite Betty.” Veronica said playfully before adding, “Unless you want him to.” Veronica winked at Betty and Jughead saw her cheeks flush. 

 

“Even if you wanted me to, I wouldn’t.” Jughead’s voice was laced with annoyance and Betty’s blush deepened.

 

“As if I’d want you to.” She spat back. 

 

Betty crossed her arms and huffed reminding him of his little sister, Jellybean, when she used to throw a fit.  _ Yeah, she’s a brat _ , he thought, confirming his earlier assessment. 

 

“Oh come on now guys!” Archie threw his hands up to emphasize his irritation with their behavior. “Seriously, Ronnie and I thought you two would get along. We talked about you guys so much that you seemed really similar.”

 

Betty rolled her eyes, arms still crossed. “Oh yeah? I find that hard to believe.”

 

“Really, B. I promise I thought you’d like him.” 

 

Jughead audibly scoffed, they were talking about him like he wasn’t even there so he didn’t feel the need to add anything further. 

 

“No, seriously dude. You guys are so much more alike than you know.” Archie added.

 

Jughead turned to face Betty and quirked an eyebrow in her direction. The scorn he was met with fueled his anger in that moment to a tipping point. 

 

“Are we now? Tell me, princess, did your house have the perfect white picket fence around it as a kid? Were you the valedictorian with the perfect grades, perfect boyfriend, and perfect little childhood? Wait, nevermind actually, all I really want to know is which ridiculously expensive ivy league school did mommy and daddy pay your way into?” Jughead’s voice was still venomous and he thought he saw Betty’s eyes glass over for a quick second before dismissing the idea when she visibly stiffened.

 

“You know what, fuck off Jughead. I’m leaving.” Betty motioned for Jughead to exit the booth so she could leave and he happily complied. If she were gone, the night could go on as planned. While he was irritated with both Archie and Veronica, he still wanted to get to know his best friend’s newest girlfriend, that hadn’t changed just because Betty was surprisingly in attendance. 

 

Veronica got up and chased after Betty when Archie turned back to Jughead. “Seriously, Jug? Can’t you be a little bit less of a dick from time to time?” 

 

Jughead was taken aback by Archie’s irritation and replayed his portion of the exchange in his head. Sure, he had been a bit harsh but he had been dealing with judgemental types his whole life. No one from affluence treated him like an actual person. He was constantly labeled ‘weirdo’ or ‘bad influence’ or his absolute favorite, ‘trailer trash’. Betty exhibited her holier than thou demeanor in their earlier exchange when he was ticketing her. She played the whole ‘I know someone’ card that always irritated him.

 

“Well, Arch, maybe you should have told me you’d be setting me up with such a brat ahead of time. I wouldn’t have come.” Jughead finally replied.

 

“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you! Listen Jug, you may not think so but you two are really similar. You both write, you both have a passion for old films, you’re both insanely smart. So sue me, for thinking I might want my best friend to be the slightest bit happy. I’m going to find Ronnie and apologize for you, ass.” Archie turned, leaving Jughead standing by the table soaking in his best friend’s words.

 

He knew Archie didn’t mean any harm by setting him up, he had done it before. It was always masked as a ‘group hang’ with an awkwardly formal introduction to whichever girl he thought fit Jughead’s bill at the time. Archie just wanted his best friend to be happy, it seemed, and Jughead instantly felt guilty.

 

Archie and Veronica returned to the table sans Betty and Jughead couldn’t help but feel a little happy at the idea that she wouldn’t be joining them again. 

 

“Jughead, I don’t even know you yet, but let me tell you something. What you said to her, is so beyond fucked up you don’t even know.” Veronica was obviously pissed off. “Her family wasn’t perfect at all. I’d tell you more but I don't think you even deserve to be in her presence. You’re lucky I didn’t leave with her.”

 

Archie’s arm swung around Veronica’s shoulders and he pulled her close to kiss her temple in an attempt to calm her down.

 

“Well you know what Veronica, I thought I wanted to meet you but it seems my luck has run out. Since I’m so lucky you didn’t leave, I’ll save you the trouble and go.” Jughead was up and out of the booth before she could even respond. Part of him expected Archie to follow him, as Veronica followed Betty, but when he turned around as he was leaving, Archie was nowhere to be found.

 

He wandered back to their apartment and let himself in. 

 

***

 

Betty walked through her and Veronica’s apartment door and hung her keys up on the hook while closing the door. Once she locked it, she pressed her forehead to the door and sighed heavily, trying to collect herself. After a few long moments, she pushed herself away from the door and took off her coat as she headed for her bedroom. 

 

Betty could not get over how much of an asshole Jughead had been and she was honestly shocked that Veronica thought they would get along in the first place. She had told her as much when Veronica chased behind her as Betty left the bar. 

 

_ “Betty, wait! Wait!” Veronica called.  _

 

_ “What?!” Betty roared as she turned on her heel.  _

 

_ Veronica stopped in her tracks, clearly affronted. _

 

_ “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Jughead was pretty harsh in there.” Veronica said quietly.  _

 

_ “Well, who’s fault is that?” Betty spat at her.  _

 

_ “Seriously? You’re blaming me for Jughead’s outburst in there?” Veronica’s voice raised an octave.  _

 

_ “Yes! How could you possibly think that ASSHOLE in there would be good for me?” Betty yelled back as she pointed back towards the bar.  _

 

_ “I didn’t know he was an asshole! Archie said he was nice and that you two had a lot in common!” Veronica shot back.  _

 

_ Betty rolled her eyes, “Oh here we go with the ‘Archie said’.”  _

 

_ Veronica glared at her, “What that HELL is that supposed to mean Elizabeth?”  _

 

_ Betty felt her fingers curl into her already raw palms, “DO NOT CALL ME THAT!”  _

 

_ Betty’s chin began to tremble as tears started to fall steadily down her cheeks.  _

 

_ Veronica’s features immediately went soft and she went to Betty wrapping her arms around Betty’s delicate frame.  _

 

_ “I’m really sorry B. I got carried away. I didn’t mean to call you be your full name.” Veronica softly in her ear.  _

 

_ Betty sniffled and whipped her nose with her sleeve. “It’s ok V, I know you didn’t mean it.”  _

 

_ “Betty?” a voice called from a few feet away.  _

 

_ The two girls turned to see Archie holding a tissue out to Betty. Betty smiled and took it gratefully. “Thanks Archie.”  _

 

_ Betty blew her nose unceremoniously and then used the remaining part to dabbed her now running mascara.  _

 

_ “I’m really sorry about Jughead. This isn’t Ronnie’s fault at all, I really thought Jughead would be a good match for you. I don’t know what’s gotten into him tonight.” Archie said apologetically.  _

 

_ Betty gave Archie a small reassuring smile, “That’s okay Archie. Don’t worry about it.” Betty threw the used tissue in her purse and then sighed, “I’m going to go back to the apartment ok V?”  _

 

_ Veronica immediately looked worried, “Ok, I’ll come with you. I just need to go back in and grab my purse.”  _

 

_ Betty held up her hand. “It’s ok, I’ll go alone. There’s no reason why your date with Archie should be ruined because of Jughead and I.” Betty gave her a quick hug, “I’ll see you at home.”  _

 

_ Before Veronica could protest, Betty gave Archie a little wave and then made her way back to the apartment. _

 

Betty put in her earbuds before she flopped down on her bed. Staring up at the ceiling, she resented how emotionally draining the day had been. First she got a ticket, then she was berated by her boss who basically told her that she was nothing and then to top it all off, she was chewed out by the cop that gave her the ticket in the first place. Betty put both her hands over her face and groaned as she wondered what she must’ve done in a past life for the universe to play such a cruel joke on her.

When she closed her eyes, all she could see was Jughead’s piercing blue eyes. He had been so angry with her, even though he didn’t even  _ know _ her. She knew she had made the mistake earlier in the day trying to get her way out of the speeding ticket. Reflecting on it, Betty knew she must’ve of seemed like a stuck up bitch. Betty dragged her hands over her face and dropped them forcefully at her sides. Maybe if she had been nicer about it, maybe if she was prettier, maybe if… 

 

Betty shook her head in an attempt to shake her insecurities right out of her skull. She knew, in retrospect, what’s done is done and there was nothing she could do to go back earlier in that day and change things. Betty rolled herself towards the wall and curled herself into the fetal position. Even though she had acted that way and even though she was sure Jughead had probably heard every line in the book about trying to get out of a ticket, she couldn't help but wonder if he had to be such a jerk after the fact? Betty closed her eyes again willing the image of Jughead’s face to come back to her mind. 

 

The ugly truth was, Jughead hadn’t been far off at all about his assumptions about her and it made her stomach twist. She did have a nice house with a perfect white picket fence, she had perfect grades and for the most part a perfect childhood. Her parents had even paid for her to go to Columbia. 

 

But what Jughead didn’t know was that she wasn’t that person anymore. Her perfect life had turned out to be nothing but a facade, her parents keeping her in the dark for as long as possible. 

 

When her mother died and she found out the truth about what had been going on with her parents, it was like her identity was stripped straight off her skin. So yes, in a different world if Betty’s mother hadn’t died and she had gotten an internship at the Times, just like her perfect plan laid out, Jughead would’ve hit the nail right on the head. But in that moment, when Jughead was spitting hateful comments at her like venom, it hurt that she couldn’t even defend herself; the truth was, Betty didn’t know who she was anymore. When she looked in the mirror in the morning while getting ready for work, it was like she was looking at a ghost. She didn’t recognize herself anymore but tonight was the first time that it dawned on her that she had no idea what to do about it. It just made her feel desolate and lost. 

 

Betty let herself cry for a few more minutes in the comfort of knowing that the apartment was empty. Then she got up and went to the bathroom, washed her face and properly cleaned and bandaged her palms. As she was washing the red crescent marks on her flesh, she began to wonder if it was time to see a grief counselor or join a support group. Betty originally turned her nose up at the idea of going to see a therapist. Afterall, she was Alice Cooper’s daughter and her mother had raised her to be strong and independent. Betty rolled her eyes at herself in the bathroom mirror before shutting the light off and going back to her bedroom to change. 

 

Just as Betty was pulling on comfortable yoga pants and a cardigan, she heard the door of the apartment open. 

 

“Betty it’s me and Archie. Are you here?” Veronica called from the front room. 

 

Betty sighed, pulling her sleeves down and sticking her thumbs through the convenient thumb holes effectively covering (and hiding) the bandages on her palms. 

 

“Yeah Veronica, I’m here, I’ll be right out.” Betty yelled into the hallway. She could hear Veronica and Archie’s muffled voices out in the front room. She took a deep breath, checking herself in her full-length mirror. Her eyes were still a little puffy but overall, she felt confident that Veronica and Archie wouldn’t be able to tell that she had been crying. 

 

“You two are back early,” Betty said as she walked out to the living room and sat down on the couch. 

 

Archie was sitting in the recliner chair opposite of her and Veronica was perched on his lap. One of her arms affectionately draped around his shoulders. 

 

“Yeah, Jughead ended up leaving right after you. So we just had one more drink and decided to come back here.” Veronica said. 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Betty replied honestly. She really didn’t want her fight with Jughead to ruin their night. 

 

“It’s ok B, not your fault.” Veronica said sighing. 

 

“Betty,” Archie began, “I really am sorry about Jughead’s behavior tonight. I swear if I knew he was going to be such a dick that I wouldn’t have tried to set you two up at all.” 

 

Betty shrugged, “It’s ok Archie, really. You shouldn’t blame yourself. Maybe if I hadn’t been such a snooty bitch to him earlier today, things would’ve gone differently.” 

 

Veronica scoffed, “He still didn’t have the right to speak to you like that! Ticket or no ticket! Jughead was just plain mean. He doesn’t know what you’ve been through in the last 12 months and he was so quick to judge you. I don’t even make that quick of a judgment on a knock-off Chanel bag!” 

 

Betty felt her heart warm affectionately towards her best friend, Veronica had been her anchor through the tragedy that was her life for the past year. She caught Archie’s eye and couldn’t help but notice the sad look in it. Betty immediately stiffened as she realized that Veronica must have told him already what she had been through in the last year. 

 

Betty looked from Veronica to Archie, noticing that Archie wouldn’t make eye contact with her. 

 

Betty sighed, “It’s ok Archie, I know Veronica told you things about my life this past year.” 

 

Veronica gasped, “B, h-how did you know that?” 

 

Betty shrugged, “Comes with the territory of losing a parent I guess. You can tell when people know by the look of sadness in their eyes.” 

 

Archie cleared his throat, “Veronica just told me that your Mom died about a year ago. She didn’t really tell me anything else.” 

 

“The truth is Archie, if my Mom hadn’t died Jughead would’ve been 100% on point about his assumptions about me.” Betty began before Veronica cut her off. 

 

“Betty don’t say that! That’s absolutely ridiculous.” Veronica chided her. 

 

Betty held up her hand in an attempt to silence Veronica. Veronica shut her mouth and sighed as she got up from Archie’s lap. Betty watched her as she walked off towards the kitchen and then turned back to Archie. 

 

“Anyways, he was right about me. Well, the old me anyway. I did have a perfect childhood and a perfect life and my parents did pay for me to go to an Ivy League school.” 

 

Archie nodded, “It’s ok Betty, you don’t need to defend yourself. Veronica told me how great you are, I believe her.” 

 

“No, I don’t feel like I have to defend myself. I want to share this with you.” Betty said. 

 

“Okay.” Archie said as he leaned back in the recliner. 

 

Veronica joined them again and handed Betty a mug of chamomile tea before sitting next to Betty on the couch. 

 

Betty took a deep breath and started at the beginning of her perfect childhood, her verbally abusive mother and her adulterous father. When she was finished, Archie looked at her with his lips pressed into a thin, grim line. 

 

“I appreciate you telling me about everything,” Archie started to say. “We have a lot in common you know? My parents got divorced when I was a kid and then my dad was shot right in front of me when I was a teenager.” 

 

“Oh my god, Arch that’s terrible. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” Betty said, completely shocked about Archie’s details about his life. 

 

“It’s ok. My dad survived but they never caught the real guy who did it. The police lumped his attack into a crime breakout and closed the case without much investigation. It’s part of the reason I became a police officer. So I could help people like me.” 

 

Betty nodded admiring Archie’s passion for his chosen profession. 

 

“Listen. I know you have no reason to believe me but Jughead really is a good guy. He’s been my best friend since we were sitting in the sandbox in diapers. I was wondering if you’d be willing to give me your phone number so I can give it to Jughead and he can apologize to you.” 

 

Betty scoffed, “How do you know he’ll even apologize? And mean it?” 

 

“Because if Jughead doesn’t come to his senses and feel bad about how he treated you, I’ll definitely make sure he does.” Archie said giving her a crooked smile. 

 

Betty looked at Archie and considered his request for a moment. She supposed that if she gave Jughead the opportunity to apologize it would make things easier on Veronica. Betty could tell that Veronica really liked Archie and she knew that if she and Jughead continued to have problems it would eventually affect their relationship. 

 

“Of course, Archie. No problem.” 

 

Veronica put her hand on Betty’s arm and gave her a small smile. “Thanks for being so great about this B, Jughead doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.” 

 

“No problem, V. Anything for my best friend.” Betty replied affectionately. 


	3. So Far From Normal

  


Betty sat at her desk at work, typing away furiously on a freelance piece she had taken recently. It was for a small, but on the rise online magazine. One of her old friends from Columbia, who also wrote for the magazine, had reached out to her saying they needed a freelance writer from time to time and remembered how fantastic Betty’s writing was. At first, Betty had turned the offer down. She dropped out of Columbia roughly six months ago and had barely written anything since. Even though writing was something that her parents controlled, Betty had genuinely loved writing. Sometimes she would write articles on recent political movements or exposes on the latest fashion trends. Then there were times where she would just write, whether it be a few lines of poetry that came to her on her walk home from class or a short story about a prince locked away in a castle and a long lost princess rescues him and saves the kingdom. Although Betty had published plenty of articles over the years, she never published any of her own free writing. People that published those things were extremely talented, with compelling characters and heart breaking plot lines. Betty never considered her stories about faraway places would ever make the cut, no, they were just things that she wrote for her. Plus, Betty was convinced that as soon as her fingers hit the keys of her laptop with a purpose, all the emotional scaffolding she had tirelessly built to put some distance between her and her grief would come crashing down.

 

Betty’s friend had sounded disappointed when she turned down the offer, but her friend said she would hold it for Betty for 48 hours before handing it off to someone else - just in case she had changed her mind. Betty had originally been annoyed, she wasn’t going to reconsider and she didn’t want to be blamed later if the piece fell through.. Since the second she ended the call with her friend, it was like the spell of the Unknown had fallen over her. She had been so adamant about not taking the opportunity when she got the call, but as she was walking home from work, it was all she could think about. When Betty got home, she pulled out the old hat box she hid under her bed, sat cross legged on her bedroom floor, and blew the dust off the top of the box before opening it.

 

Betty smiled fondly as she began to pull out old photographs from high school standing with her friends at a pep rally in their cheerleading uniforms.

 

 _Those were the days,_  Betty thought to herself sighing.

 

Betty paused for a moment and looked at the three spiral bound notebooks that lay in the bottom of the box. Her heart pounded in her chest as she let out a shaky breath and picked up the notebook on the top of the stack. All those years her mother thought she had been writing in her diary but Betty had just used that as her cover.

 

The truth was, Betty was writing but she wasn’t writing about drama in her life. It wasn’t about a fight with Polly or boys. She was writing her poetry. She was writing her stories. These notebooks were her most prized possession and she had always kept them from her mother so they couldn’t be controlled. She ran her fingers over the front of the notebook before flipping it open. Betty read through a few of the lined pages and felt her heart warm at the memory of how happy this kind of writing had made her.

 

Originally, Betty didn’t want to write because it had always been associated with that perfect identity her mother had crafted for her. But in that moment, while she read over her pink gel inked words, she realized that writing had also been a part of the identity she made for herself. Betty chewed her bottom lip lightly considering if she could pick it up again. Even though her heart hurt just from the thought, Betty picked up her phone and called her old friend back to accept the new opportunity.

 

Betty knew that it probably was not a good idea to be working on her freelance piece while at work, but she never took her 30 minute lunch break. So technically, she could chose to be on her own time for a few moments. Betty had started some light research on her subway ride into work that morning and her fingers were itching to put the words bouncing around in her head on the paper.

 

“Betty!” Drew yelled from his office.

 

Betty sighed and rolled her eyes, she felt like she had just gotten into a good flow. She stood up and straightened her skirt before walking into Drew’s office.

 

“Yes sir, what can I do for you?” Betty asked, pasting a fake smile on her lips.

 

Ever since she had gotten the ticket and Drew told her that she was nothing without him, she had lost all respect for him. There was definitely tension between the two of them that Betty hoped would go away after the court date. Drew wouldn’t have to appear, but since it was his car she was ticketed in, she wanted to wrap up the entire ordeal as soon as possible. She had been lightly considering quitting once she had taken care of the ticket, but she didn’t want to make any rash decisions. Betty wasn’t sure if she could truly get past the way he spoke to her when he was made and she knew she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment in the workplace; it wasn’t conducive to her mental health or her self esteem.

 

“Yeah- go down to the corner and get me a venti, quad, soy, three-pump, no-whip, hazelnut macchiato.”  

 

Betty checked her watch and then looked up at him, “This late in the day?”

 

Drew’s head snapped up and he glared at her, “I didn’t ask for the time did I? No- so get me my damn coffee.”

 

“Sure.” Betty said defiantly as she quickly turned on her heel and made her way out of the office.

 

Betty made it down to the Starbucks on the corner and was relieved that it was mercifully empty. She gave a silent thanks to the barista gods and walked up to the counter to place Drew’s coffee order. While she waited by the cream and sugar bar for Drew’s latte, her cell phone went off. She felt a slight flutter of anxiety in her chest before she looked down at it. She didn’t recognize the number and decided to let it go to voicemail.

 

It had been about two weeks since Betty gave Archie her phone number to give to Jughead and she had yet to hear from him. She was sort of relieved because she hadn’t been looking forward to the interaction, even though Jughead would be apologizing. _If,_ he would be apologizing. When Betty had given Archie her cell phone number, he had been determined to get Jughead to call her and apologize but Betty wasn’t so sure. So far, her instincts had been correct. The last few nights, Betty debated calling Jughead herself and getting it over with, it would certainly make things easier for her.

 

The last two weeks had been strange. Veronica and Archie had worked out some kind of “custody” agreement where they planned to spend time with both Jughead and Betty at separate times. Veronica had even gone as far as to send her a calendar invite so that Betty wouldn’t get confused which days were hers and what bar or restaurant they’d be going to. Betty had snorted at the idea, it was absolutely ridiculous, but apparently Veronica and Archie had a lot of anxiety over their respective best friends hating each other.

 

Despite how ridiculous it was and how much easier Betty’s life would be if she and Jughead settled their differences, Betty couldn’t let Jughead off that easy. Just because she had agreed for Archie to give Jughead her phone number didn’t change the fact that he had been a complete asshole.

 

Betty trapped her bottom lip between her teeth as Jughead’s face had come to her mind and she quickly scolded herself when she thought about how hot he was. Even though Betty could take her part in the blame, Jughead had been a little over the top in the jerk department that evening two weeks ago. However, it didn’t change how attracted she was to him. Betty had never been the type to be attracted to assholes, but she assumed when a man looked like the Greek Adonis, that she could start.

 

“I have a venti, quad, soy, three-pump, hazelnut macchiato with whip for Betty.” One of the barista’s called, breaking Betty out of her train of thought. Betty grabbed the drink of the counter and made her way back to the office. While she walked, she took a deep breath and looked at the missed call on her phone.

 

The number hadn’t left a voicemail, but instead sent a text after she let it ring through. Luckily, it wasn’t Jughead. Betty pushed off the strange feeling of relief mixed with the slightest bit of disappointment as she read the text message. It was from Max, a guy Veronica had set her up on date with a few weeks ago. They were scheduled to go on their third date that evening at a fancy restaurant in the Upper East side. Betty had liked Max, he was good looking and funny. She Betty didn’t really see him as boyfriend material but since Veronica had gone through the trouble of setting them up and she Betty genuinely had fun when she hung out with him, Betty continued to see him.

 

Betty walked back into the office, noticing the loud clacking sound her pumps made on the white marble tile. She noted that a lot of her co-workers had left for the evening and hoped that Drew would let her go after she delivered his coffee. She walked into Drew’s office and placed the Starbucks cup on the coaster that was on his desk.

 

“Here’s your venti, quad, soy, three-pump, no-whip, hazelnut macchiato.” Betty said, repeating his obnoxious coffee order back to him with faux sweetness.

 

“Thanks.” Drew said, tight lipped.

 

Betty resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sigh. “You’re welcome.”

 

Betty walked out of Drew’s office quickly and went back to her laptop and after quickly checking her email, she continued working on her article.

 

About 10 minutes had passed when Drew screamed, “BETTY!” from his office again.

 

She had just enough time to cringe and turn to Drew’s office door as he was storming towards her.

 

“What is it?” she squeaked.

 

“This macchiato has whipped cream on it!” Drew spat at her.

 

Betty slowly stood, “Are you sure? I specifically told them no whipped cream.”

 

Drew slammed the drink down on her desk, coffee sloshing everywhere as he took the lid off.

 

Sure enough, there was whipped cream sitting on top.

 

“I’m sorry, I thought-“

 

“How hard is it to remember a simple fucking coffee order?!” Drew barked.

 

Betty mentally rolled her eyes, there was no way Drew thought his obnoxious coffee order was simple. She swore some days that he used a complicated coffee order generator just to fuck with her.

 

“I’m sorry, I’ll go to the kitchen and scoop it out.” Betty said reaching for the cup.

 

“Just forget it! You’re so fucking useless.” Drew picked up the coffee drink and threw it violently into the waste paper basket next to Betty’s desk.

She gasped and stepped back in shock as coffee sprayed everywhere. Drew was definitely starting to cross a line.

 

“And while we’re at it,” Drew seethed, “When you’re working for me you will not be distracted.”

 

“What?” Betty asked confused.

 

“I looked through your laptop while you were gone.” Drew stated.

 

“You what? That’s my personal laptop! You’re not allowed to do that.” Betty shot back.

 

“Oh yes I am, especially when you’re on my time. You’re writing is pathetic, by the way. You’d be lucky to get a small following on some lame blog. It’s a good thing you dropped out of Columbia, you never would have made it as a journalist. What a waste of your parent’s money that was.”

 

Betty clenched her fists until her knuckles went white and the pain from her nails digging into her palms suppressed her urge to punch Drew in the mouth. She felt a hot liquid slip through her fingers, catching her off guard. Without thinking Betty opened her hands and looked down at her open palms, she was surprised to see blood there. She quickly closed them and looked up at Drew who was watching her in disgust.

 

Betty had had enough.

 

“I quit.” She said simply, as she began to pack up her things.

 

Drew scoffed, “Go ahead, I don’t need a mess like you working for me anyway.” He looked down at her hands one more time, “You are so far from normal, it’s not even funny.”

 

Betty ignored him and walked quickly to the elevator and hit the button. Once she was safely inside the elevator and the doors closed, she let out a sob as tears flowed down her cheeks. The only thing she wanted in that moment was to go home and talk to Veronica. Then she remembered that Veronica wasn’t even home, it was her night with Archie and Jughead. Another sob escaped her throat, she felt like she was spiraling and she knew she couldn’t be alone.

 

Veronica had been her only constant, especially in the last year of her life, and she needed her best friend. She needed Veronica right now. The elevator doors opened with a loud chime and Betty walked out the elevator towards the exit as she quickly weighed her options. With the acceptance of her decision settling, Betty walked out the large glass doors and made her way up the street. She checked the calendar Veronica shared with her and started walking with purpose.

 

***

 

Jughead sat at the crowded bar, incidentally he found himself back at the bar where the disastrous ‘blind date’ happened. He was waiting patiently for Veronica and Archie, who were already nearly half an hour late. He found himself lost in thought as he swirled the honey color liquid in the glass between his fingers.

 

_Archie stumbled in close to noon the day after Jughead’s outburst the last time they were at the bar, and judging by the look on his face, Jughead knew Archie was preparing to lecture him. Jughead shut his laptop and refilled his coffee mug before sitting at the table, ready for the verbal lashing. What he didn’t expect, however, was Archie’s calm monologue on the matter._

 

_“Jughead, I know that certain types of people always rub you the wrong way but Betty isn’t like that. I can’t believe you were such a dick last night but you’re still my best friend. First and foremost, you need to apologize to her.”_

 

_Jughead tightened his grip on his coffee mug, he didn’t know what on earth Archie could possibly say that would make him want to talk to Betty._

 

_“Betty’s mom is dead and her dad isn’t in the picture.” Archie dropped the bomb as if it was casual conversation and Jughead’s head snapped up in surprise. “She was everything you thought before her mom died. Veronica said she had to drop out of Columbia in her final semester after her mom’s death. She was devastated, Jug. So last night when you decided to be an asshole? Yeah, you kind of just twisted the knife in her gut.”It wasn’t even a year ago man.”_

 

_Jughead was shocked. He did feel bad, the guilt weighed heavily on his chest as he let Archie’s words sink in._

 

_“Why are you telling me this?” Jughead asked._

_Archie’s eyebrows raised, “Seriously? Jughead, you were the absolute worst version of yourself the other night at the bar. I get it, Betty pissed you off but you threw her broken family in her face like a freaking dish rag. That’s not you.”_

 

_Jughead nodded, still not responding. He knew all about broken families from personal experience. What he didn’t know was how it would feel to have one of his parents die. His dad may not have been perfect, far from it in fact, but at least he was still alive._

 

_Archie stared at him for a few long moments, clearly waiting for him to respond. When he didn’t Archie sighed heavily and took a piece of paper out of his pocket._

 

_“This is Betty’s phone number, now that you know the truth about Betty, use it.” Archie said firmly as he got up from the kitchen table._

 

_He picked up the piece of paper and turned it over a few times in his hand before taking it to his room and laying it on his desk.Picking up the phone right then and apologizing was the ideal course of action, but Jughead wasn’t sure where he would possibly begin, or if Betty wanted to hear from him at all. He considered how the interaction may go and decided against it almost instantly. There was no way he was going to call her. Nothing he could think of saying over the phone sounded remotely good enough, or right enough, or really just simply enough. The impersonal feel of a phone call couldn’t possibly do justice to the conversation he really needed to have._

 

_-_

 

_Over the next few weeks Archie, Veronica, Jughead and Betty worked out a sort of custody agreement. Archie and Veronica split their time between Betty and Jughead equally, spending half their nights at his place and the other half at hers. When they wanted to go out, they always made sure to only invite Betty or Jughead, never both. He thought it was ridiculous, honestly._

 

_Veronica was still agitated with him for never apologizing to her best friend for his outburst. However,she was warming up to him little by little the more time they spent together. Since the two of them getting along was important to Archie, Jughead told Veronica the truth- that he knew he was harsh and hadn’t quite figured out yet how to apologize. Luckily, she believed him when he said he wanted to apologize and accepted that he wasn’t ready yet. His sharp wit and sarcastic remarks won her over slowly and even though she was still bitter about the surprise blind date, she seemed to enjoy spending time with him., Although, Jughead guessed that Veronica enjoyed Archie being happy more._

 

-

 

Jughead was surprised when Archie’s strong arm swung around his shoulders, shaking him from his reverie. He followed Archie and Veronica from the bar as they all settled into a booth. The conversation flowed easy as the drinks were drained one right after another. Jughead had grown to enjoy his time with Veronica and Archie over the weeks.

 

Archie, Jughead and Veronica were easily three - or was it four - drinks into their night and relatively inebriated when Betty suddenly appeared, clearly distraught.

 

Her cheeks were covered in dried streaks where tears previously streamed, her mascara was running a bit, and her cheeks were splotchy, but Jughead was struck by the sight of the clearly broken girl.

 

The guilt had been gnawing at him over the weeks. He should have called her, or at least sent a text, he knew that. Jughead had drafted message after message to send her but never was satisfied enough to send one and as time passed, he figured she had moved on and wouldn’t welcome his contact anyway.

 

Veronica quickly jumped up and steered her to the bathroom.

 

As soon as the girls were out of sight, Archie turned to Jughead and cleared his throat.

 

Before he could say a word, Jughead lifted his hands defensively and cut him off. “I know. I know. I’ll apologize tonight.”

 

“Good.” Archie said simply before finishing off his drink.

 

In Betty and Veronica's absence, Archie was mercifully quiet. Jughead thought long and hard about what he wanted to say to Betty.

 

When the girls returned, Betty looked a bit more put together. Her cheeks were cleared of the mascara streaks and her skin was slightly pink, freshly scrubbed. She slid into the booth next to Jughead. The foot of space that had been present the last time they found themselves in this situation was marginally smaller when she settled into the seat.

 

Archie and Veronica looked at each other before quickly excusing themselves to the bar for a refill. Jughead knew a waiter would have easily taken their drink order, so their swift exit surely meant one thing - it was time for Jughead to man up and apologize to her. The stage had been set.

 

“Listen, Betty, I’m really sorry about the last time I saw you. My insults were uncalled for and I apologize. Archie told me a little bit about your situation and I feel really bad about what I said.”

 

She wouldn’t meet his eyes, her gaze fixed on something on the table.

 

“I don’t need your pity Jughead. I… I know Archie told you about the last year of my life. Just because I’m some girl from a broken home with a tragic backstory and our friends are dating doesn’t mean we need to be friends.” Her tone was low and despondent. It made his heart wrench slightly in his chest.

 

“I get that. I mean you don’t know me and I don’t really know you but I do know a thing or two about tragic backstories.” His slight chuckle echoed in the air and all he could think about was how unfunny his confession had been. He chanced a look at her and his heart sunk a little more when she still wouldn’t look up from the table. Jughead sighed, he really just wanted to get this apology over with.

 

“My dad’s in prison and my mom left when I was a kid. So I get it. If you don’t want me to pity you, I won’t, but I still needed to apologize.”

 

Betty’s slowly lifted her head to meet his eyes. He was rendered speechless for a moment, staring at her emerald irises just a beat too long before averting his gaze. He was surprised when she reached a hand across the table and laid it on his forearm. Jughead raised his head at the contact and connected their eyes once more.

 

“I’m sorry Jughead.” Her tone was ernest and he was caught off guard. Jughead was silent for a long moment, feeling the weight of her hand on his forearm and caught in her gaze. He cleared his  throat and she pulled her hand back, startled by how long it had sat there.

 

“So if I can’t pity you, Betty. Then you definitely can’t pity me. Deal?”

 

He saw the corner of her lips quirk up slightly before she laughed. It sounded heavenly, contrasting with her earlier attitude and Jughead mentally patted himself on the back for eliciting such a reaction.

 

“Deal.” He agreed and reached his hand out to shake on it. Betty chuckled lightly again and he smiled.

 

“So, tell me, Betty. Now that we’re not enemies, even if we’re not quite friends, what happened today? I mean, I’m sure even you think this ‘custody agreement’ is ridiculous,” Jughead’s fingers formed air quotes, earning him another giggle that made his heart race.

 

“But um, you must have been really upset to break it and come here.” Jughead finished.

 

Betty sighed deeply, “I just had a really fucking terrible day.”

 

“Oh, well lucky for you I wrote the book on really fucking terrible days. You want to talk about it?”

 

Betty paused for a moment and looked at him, like she was considering his question. Before he could back pedal and brush it off, Betty reached over and grabbed his glass and knocked it back. Jughead raised his eyebrows in shock and he smirked at her.

 

“Honestly, I quit my job. My boss called me useless and told me I was, and I quote,” she paused, forming air quotes with her fingers for emphasis before continuing, “so far from normal it wasn’t even funny.” The hollow sound of her short laugh echoed in the space between them for a beat as Betty laced her fingers together on the table.

 

Jughead could see her eyes glass over, her confident carefree attitude disappearing and reached out to place his hand atop her own. She was nervously clenching and unclenching her fists as the silence stretched.

 

“Well, if you, Elizabeth Cooper, former salutatorian of your senior class and Ivy League student, aren’t normal, what kinda shot does a guy like me have? Besides, normal is overrated. Take me for example, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo. I don't fit in and I don’t want to fit in. All of the best people stand out, so take it as a compliment Betts.” The nickname slipped out without Jughead realizing and her features softened as a genuine smile spread across her cheeks.

 

Betty opened her mouth, as if to say something in return when their moment was broken. Archie and Veronica returned with another round of mixed drinks and an extra round of shots.

 

“Here, B. I figured you needed to take the edge off.” Veronica set the drinks and shots down. “By the way, it seems you guys can stand to be in each others presence so I’m guessing we can break the custody arrangement just for tonight?” Veronica’s voice was hopeful and Jughead looked at Betty as if in question.

 

“Actually,” Betty said turning back to see Veronica, “we can break it for good.”

 

“Oh yay!” Veronica squealed, clapping her hands together.

 

The conversation was much lighter for the rest of the evening. Topics easily flowed for the group from one to the next and before they knew it, the bartender declared last call.

 

They all made their way to the exit and awkwardly stood outside the bar debating on their next move.

 

“Jug, I’m going to go to Veronica’s tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.” Archie said.

 

“Actually you won’t. I have court in the morning so I’ll just see you for our evening shift at the station.” They shared a masculine hug, complete with back patting before Archie and Veronica tried to flag down a taxi by the curb.

 

Betty and Jughead were left alone once more but this time the awkwardness eased, thanks in large part to their current levels of intoxication, and partly thanks to the earlier conversation.

 

“So I'll see you in the morning?” He knew he would but wanted to ask anyway, willing himself to break the silence.

 

“Yeah.” She replied simply. “See you in the morning.” She waved before turning to enter the taxi that was waiting to take her, Archie and Veronica back to their apartment.

 

Jughead stood on the sidewalk reflecting on the night’s events. Betty was so different than he expected. Each sarcastic quip he tossed out had been quickly countered and he found himself laughing at her own sense of humor more than once.

 

 _Maybe Archie and Veronica had been onto something,_ he briefly thought before turning to walk back to his apartment, alone.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone! 
> 
> So what did you think????! Did Jughead redeem himself in this chapter? How do you think things will go between them during court in the next chapter? 
> 
> Stayed tuned :)


	4. Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This chapter took a little to get out than we would have liked but this week has been crazy for both of us! We appreciate your patience :)
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has left a kudo or a comment! We appreciate it more than you know!

The police academy taught both Jughead and Archie discipline in a way no small-town family life ever could. Shortly after the decision to join Archie in his quest for acceptance to the academy, they both began running a minimum of two miles each morning. 

 

Over the years, Jughead held fast to the routine much more regularly than Archie. Depending on the morning, sometimes Archie wouldn’t even be home in time for the early run. That morning, for example, Jughead got up, on time, dressed for the run and tied his shoes before knocking on Archie’s door. He began getting ready before checking just for the simple fact that more often than not recently, Archie chose not to join.    
  
The steady rhythm of his running shoes on the pavement soothed Jughead’s mind as he found solace in the comfort of the familiar action. Running started as a means to an end, he and Archie needed to be in peak physical shape to join the force. Over the years, however, Jughead found peace in the regularity of the routine. In his youth, any semblance of a regular routine was nonexistent until he joined the Andrews family. Unlike his previous morning ritual that could include anything from a Serpent funded meal at Pop’s to a cup of black coffee to quite often, nothing at all, living under the Andrews’ roof meant anywhere from a fully cooked breakfast to a bowl of cereal. Regardless of the nourishment, breakfasts, and dinners became part of his routine. As the meal regularities settled on him, he found himself craving routines in other aspects of his life. Structure was something foreign to him and life at the Andrews upended his previous ideals of what a normal family could look like.   
  
Jughead’s playlist cycled through the last song before he realized he had been running for over an hour. He turned back toward home and restarted the list as his thoughts circled around to Betty and the night before.    
  
When Betty first showed up, he knew something was wrong. Her words echoed in his ears with each step he took.  _ ‘So far from normal it wasn’t even funny.’  _ When she said the words, her demeanor changed, almost as if she believed it herself; and  _ that _ bothered him. He meant what he said to her about it. If she was ‘so far from normal’ he must as well just be the same old weird loner outsider he was always labeled in high school. 

 

When Jughead transferred from Southside High to Riverdale High, his presence wasn’t exactly welcome. If Archie hadn’t endlessly defended and stuck up for him, he’s not sure he would have been anything other than a statistic. Most of the football team and the cheerleaders made it known they didn’t care for him or his leather jacket. They made fun of his clothes, his hair, his shoddy laptop, and anything else they felt like. In high school, people like that were labeled as bullies and generally easy to spot. Unfortunately, in adulthood they were harder to recognize, but their behaviors didn’t tend to change. Betty’s boss was clearly a bully and Jughead did not like bullies. He clenched his fists without realizing at first, only loosening the fingers as his thoughts drifted back to the night before. 

 

After their conversation, he finally loosened her up and her earlier state had been nearly forgotten. Jughead found himself genuinely enjoying Betty’s company. She was whip smart, he could tell that much by the quips and comments thrown back and forth between them throughout the night. She was caring too, genuinely compassionate in a way he had never seen before. He barely apologized for his outburst the last time they were around each other and she laid her hand on his arm. She wanted to comfort him even though she didn’t know him. Jughead had never shared so much of his personal story with someone he barely knew. Granted, it was limited information and he knew far more about her before he shared his depressing backstory, but either way, the look in her eyes when she said she was sorry for his upbringing stirred something in him. She was so very different than he expected, so much more of something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The way her whole face lit up when she laughed captivated him more than once over the course of the night and he caught himself staring at her far too often. Thankfully, he was pretty sure she hadn’t seen his prolonged glances, but he could have sworn he caught her staring at him from time to time as well.    
  
Jughead entered the apartment and after throwing his dirty running clothes in the hamper, he jumped in the shower and got ready for the day.

 

He hated going to court over tickets. It was still considered time in the field for him, but he was no closer to his quota with a few hours eaten up at the municipal complex.    
  
Clad in his uniform, Jughead arrived at the courthouse thirty minutes before the hearing time. He was anxiously waiting outside of their assigned room when he saw Betty approaching. 

 

Each time he saw her, she took his breath away. For the hearing, she wore a simple black pencil skirt with a fitted white button down and a pair of black heels. She looked simple, elegant, and Jughead couldn’t help but stare a bit longer than appropriate for the setting. Or any setting for that matter, considering they only broke the ice between them the night before.  She seemed to be holding two cups of coffee in her hands and Jughead wondered who the second coffee was for. The closest Starbucks was 15 minutes out of her way (not including the time to order).   
  
His thoughts were interrupted when she walked over to his perch against the wall and leaned up against it next to him.   
  
“Good morning.” Betty greeted. Her smile was wide and brilliant as her hand extended forward to offer him one of the cups in her hand. “I thought you might want coffee this morning.”   
  
“Oh, Betts.” He started, using the newly acquired nickname with ease. “You didn’t have to do that.”    
  
“I wanted to.” She said simply. The smile returned to her face in full force as he took a sip from his drink. She did the same and he felt silly for smiling right back at her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. They sipped on their coffee for a few quiet moments, watching people walk in and out of the lobby.

 

“Have you ever been to court before?” Jughead asked, in an attempt to make conversation. 

 

“No, this is my first time.” Betty replied, not meeting his eyes. 

 

Jughead could tell Betty was nervous and all of the sudden he felt guilty about giving her the ticket. He knew it wasn’t his fault she was speeding in the first place. In all reality, he was just doing his job by citing her. At the time, he wanted nothing more than to ruffle her feathers, but upon getting to know her more, he realized the ticket was simply another problem added to her growing stack and the pang of guilt struck again. He briefly wondered what the judge would think if he changed his mind or claimed his speed gun wasn’t calibrated like Betty had originally tried to prove.   
  
Betty cleared her throat, effectively breaking him out of his thoughts. “Listen Jughead, before we go in there, there’s something I want to say to you.” 

 

“Ok, sure. What’s up Betty?” He asked wearily.    
  
Jughead wasn’t sure where this was going and his smile faded as he waited anxiously for her to begin.   
  
Betty sighed deeply and shook her head a bit. “I’m really bad at this.” She laughed lightly. “But I… I want to apologize to you. I’m really sorry for being such a brat at the traffic stop. I know you were just doing your job and I was making it more difficult for you.” Betty paused and took a deep breath like she was steeling herself for the rest of her speech. 

 

“Betty, it’s ok-” he started to say but Betty cut him off. 

 

“No Jug, please, I need to get this out.” He shut his mouth and she continued. “I’m going to tell the judge I was guilty and I’m going to pay the ticket. It wasn’t right for me to try and get out of it at the time and I understand why it irritated you. I should have just cooperated and signed the damn ticket then but I didn’t and I’m just… I’m just sorry.”   
  
Jughead let her ramble on until she was done. The way she was gripping the cup and idly readjusting her hands was adorable to him. He was blown away by her apology, no one had ever really apologized to him before for trying to weasel their way out of a ticket, but it was more than that. He could tell Betty felt guilty about what had happened and genuinely wanted to make amends.    
  
“Thank you.” He couldn’t think of a better reply and before he could say another word, they were called into the courtroom.    
  
It was a standard courtroom. Jughead had become very familiar with the rooms over the years. First, for his dad’s multiple run-ins with the law and in the more recent years, his own cases brought him there more often than he liked.    
  
He stood behind one of two tables with Betty directly to his right behind the other. They were both still standing when the judge entered the room and signaled for them to sit down.   
  
The judge read over the specifics, the speed, the fine amount, and the newly established court costs added to the ticket before asking how Betty plead.   
  
“Guilty.” She entered her plea.   
  
“Is there anything you’d like to say about the ticket Miss Cooper? Typically, defendants don’t refuse to sign tickets and immediately enter a guilty plea.” The judge implored.   
  
“Yes, actually there is.” Betty turned to Jughead and he angled his head to observe. “Officer Jones, I’m sorry for not signing the ticket. You were simply doing your job and I was speeding. I apologize for my behavior.” She turned back to the judge before continuing. “Your Honor, I sincerely apologize, this has been a waste of your time and I just want you to know that I understand you are doing your job and I accept any and all consequences.”   
  
The judge was silent for a long moment, clearly soaking in the strange circumstances of the hearing.   
  
“Well, Miss Cooper, I appreciate your honesty. Speed limits are set for safety reasons and when a citizen violates them, it is our law enforcement’s duty to hold them accountable. Speeding tickets are meant to penalize those who operate vehicles in an unsafe manner. I appreciate your candor in my courtroom, however, since you pleaded guilty to the ticket and admitted to giving Mr. Jones a hard time, the fine for the ticket stands. But to reward your honesty and quite frankly the refreshing nature of your apology, ” The judge paused and scribbled something on the paper in front of him as Betty anxiously awaited his perceived reward. “I won’t put the points against your license this time.”   
  
“Thank you!” Betty blurted out.   
  
The hearing was over within a matter of minutes and both Betty and Jughead exited the courtroom side by side. Once they got into the lobby, they walked over to the elevators and Jughead pressed the down button.   
  
“Well, that didn’t seem to go in your favor,” Jughead joked, “but really Betty I do appreciate your apology.”   
  
“I had no grounds to fight it on.” She shrugged her shoulders in response.   
  
They stared at each other for a minute while they waited for the elevator to arrive, his boyish grin meeting her subdued smile. Jughead couldn’t seem to look away from her captivating smile. 

 

Much like his singular ex-girlfriend, Betty had blonde hair and green eyes. She was, however, so very different in almost every other way. Even her blonde was brighter than Sabrina’s, her green eyes a shade darker and much deeper. Betty Cooper was her own brand of beautiful and Jughead found himself noticing all of the little traits that were so uniquely  _ her.  _ When she smiled, she almost always ducked her head, as if it was a secret, a smile she wasn’t sure she should share. She had a habit of tucking the wayward strands of hair framing her face behind her ears and he caught himself more than once wanting to smooth it away for her with his own fingers. Something about her was drawing him in. It had been a long time since Jughead found himself genuinely interested in someone and the feeling wasn’t entirely unwelcome.  

  
When they got to the ground floor, Betty held the ticket up and gestured to the clerk’s area on the first floor. “I have to go pay this.” 

 

Jughead nodded “I’ll wait outside.” He offered. A smile tugged at the edge of her lips. He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to stick around or not but when she nodded he felt a sense of relief.   
  
“I’ll be out soon.” She promised before turning down the corridor to the clerk’s office and disappearing.   
  
Jughead stood there watching her disappear down the hallway and he felt his cheeks framing a genuine, heartfelt grin. 

  
He found a bench just outside the front doors and sat down to wait for her trying to decide what to do next. He wasn’t ready to part ways with her just yet and his shift that evening didn’t start for well over six hours. He knew he should go home and try to get some sleep in preparation for his overnight, but the idea of her company was becoming too tempting.

 

She took longer than he expected, nearing fifteen minutes before she emerged through the doors. He hadn’t thought out his next plan of action and with her walking toward him, he made a snap decision.   
  
“Want to grab something to eat?” He asked as soon as she was in front of him. Betty looked up at him, a soft smile playing on her lips but she didn’t answer right away. He began to feel apprehensive, It wasn’t like Jughead Jones to ask out a girl for a meal with no expectation of anything else and he felt like a nervous sixteen-year-old around her. Maybe he had overstepped. Maybe she wouldn’t want to be alone with him. With doubts mounting, he felt the need to give her an easy out. Jughead was debating about retracting his offer altogether when his stomach growled before he had the chance causing Betty to giggle.  

 

“I’m withering away here Betts… if you don’t want to join, no big deal.” He didn’t want to sound desperate, but at the same time, he was really hoping she might join him.

 

“Sure,” Betty answered, “something to eat sounds great.” 

 

***

 

Betty and Jughead entered a diner that was roughly a ten minute walk from the courthouse. She had picked this place because this particular diner was known for its burgers and shakes. As soon as Jughead suggested lunch, she remembered him telling her last night that burgers were his favorite food. 

 

Betty had tossed and turned all night thinking about Jughead and her court appearance. Jughead had given her such a sincere apology the night before but Betty had been too wrapped up in quitting her job to apologize as well. She didn’t want to make excuses for Jughead, he had been pretty nasty to her, but Betty still believed that if she didn’t act like such a snob when he pulled her over (or hadn’t been speeding in the first place), all of this could have been avoided. 

 

However, deep down she knew there was nothing that she could do about it now except move forward and therefore, a proper apology was necessary. There was also the fact that she desperately hoped that after she settled everything at court that she and Jughead could have a do over of sorts. She had wondered a few times since the day Jughead had pulled her over what things would be like if she had met him under normal circumstances. Obviously, they still would’ve met because of Archie and Veronica and the start of their friendship (if she could even call it that) wouldn’t have started so harshly. 

 

Betty had fantasized about that possibility more than she cared to admit. In her mind, she would’ve gone to the bar with Veronica that night; Jughead’s breathtaking blue eyes would meet hers from across the bar, and then they might have gotten to know each other through stolen glances and flirty banter. Maybe if things had played out like that in the first place, Veronica and Archie’s plan to set them up would have worked. Betty lightly bit her bottom lip as she daydreamed. She wasn’t so sure now, after the harsh words they both exchanged, that they could ever get to a place where they would even consider the possibility of dating, but even the theoretical scenario made her heartbeat quicken. 

 

The hostess led them to a booth and set their menus down on the table. They thanked her and slid into opposite sides of the booth. Betty couldn’t help but notice people were staring at her and Jughead and she realized that Jughead was still wearing his police uniform. It seemed like Jughead was either blatantly ignoring people’s eyes on him or he was completely oblivious, she wasn’t really sure which it was. 

 

“The burgers are really good here,” she said, “You mentioned last night it was your favorite food so I hoped you might like this place.” 

 

Jughead looked up from his menu and smiled at her, she felt herself blush slightly under his gaze. 

 

“I’m sure I will. Thanks Betts.” 

 

_ Betts, _ Betty repeated to herself. No one other than Veronica had ever given her a nickname besides Betty. All her life she had been “Betty Cooper” or “Elizabeth Cooper”, names that her mother had given her, names that held certain expectations when people said them out loud. She wondered what Jughead’s expectations of her were when he called her by his chosen nickname. 

 

The waitress came by and they placed their orders, both of them not really needing to look over the menu. Jughead ordered a cheeseburger deluxe with everything, a large side of fries and a triple chocolate milkshake. Betty ordered a cheeseburger with just pickles, a small side of fries and a vanilla shake. After the waitress left, there was an awkward silence that fell over them. Betty twisted her hands in her lap, biting her bottom lip again. Jughead rested his chin on the palm of his hand and looked mindlessly around the diner. 

 

Betty cleared her throat, “So Jughead, I have a proposition for you.” 

 

He looked at her then, he curiosity clearly piqued. “A proposition?” 

 

“I was thinking, now that the ticket is officially behind us… that we could start over.” 

 

“Start over? You mean pretend like we haven't met before?” Jughead asked, a playful smile on his lips. 

 

She blushed, this all sounded so much better in her head than it did out loud. 

 

“Yeah, like a do over of sorts.” 

 

Jughead looked at her for a moment, the corners of his lips still turned up in amusement. 

 

“So how would that work exactly?” Jughead asked, “Would we pretend to meet each other for the first time the next time we’re out with Veronica and Archie or are we starting this do over right now?” 

 

Betty thought about it for a moment, “Right now I guess.” 

 

“Right. Would you excuse me for a moment?” Jughead asked, his voice giving nothing away. 

 

“S-sure.” Betty replied, clearly confused. 

 

Jughead nodded and got up from his seat, “I’ll be right back.” 

 

Betty watched as Jughead got up and walked to the back of the diner and went to where Betty assumed was the restroom. She sighed, she must’ve sounded so stupid, rambling on about do overs and fantasizing about what things would be like if they met by chance. She put her head in hers hands and made a silent plea to the universe that their food would come out quickly and they could get this whole thing over with before she died of sheer embarrassment. 

 

As she was thinking about texting Veronica and begging her to call with a fake emergency to get her out of this nightmare, she heard someone clear their throat. She looked up to find Jughead standing in front of her. 

 

“Excuse me miss, is this seat taken?” Jughead asked sheepishly. 

 

Betty was dumbfounded as her mind began to race, was Jughead really doing this? 

 

“No, not all.” She said, playing along, “Be my guest.” 

 

“Thanks, the counter is full over there and to be honest, you looked like you could use some company.” He said and then took a seat across from her. 

 

Betty blushed as realization dawned on her, if he was doing this, he must want a do over too. 

 

“How kind of you…” she pretended to read his name badge, “Officer Jones.” 

 

“Please, call me Jughead.” he replied warmly. 

 

“Jughead?” she asked in mock disbelief, “That’s an interesting name.” 

 

“Trust me my real name in worse,” he quipped, winking at her. 

 

Betty laughed, she had never seen this fun side of Jughead before. She supposed this was her whole point of starting over with him, but she was pleasantly surprised, even more so than she expected. 

 

“I’m Elizabeth,” she said, reaching her hand out to shake his, “but my friends call me Betty.” 

 

Jughead smiled at her and took her hand to shake it. 

 

“So, do you come here often?” he asked. 

 

“When I’m in the mood for a burger, yes.” 

 

“Oh I love burgers, they’re my favorite food. I’m glad I ordered one.” 

 

They both smiled at each other, clearly enjoying the ruse they had created. 

 

Their food came shortly after and they both dug into their burgers. Jughead took a few bites of his burger which was overflowing with toppings and condiments, groaning appreciatively. 

 

Betty giggled, “Told you they were good.” 

 

“You know, I like a girl who knows how to recommend a good burger.” Jughead said. 

 

Betty blushed again, they couldn’t seem to stop with all of the flirty banter. Truthfully, she was in disbelief he was capable of being so flirty. His stiff brooding demeanor from the traffic stop a distant memory. 

 

“So Betty, tell me about yourself.” Jughead asked. 

 

“What do you want to know?” 

 

Jughead looked at her for a moment like he was trying to peer into her soul. 

 

“Honestly? Everything but for now, how about we start with what you do for work.” 

 

Betty looked up from her meal to meet Jughead’s gaze, his face immediately fell as his new found confidence quickly started to fade. Betty didn’t want their “do over” to end so she quickly replied, “I used to work for Drew Bates as an assistant.” 

 

Jughead’s eyebrows raised, “Really the Drew Bates? I hear that guy is kind of a jerk.” 

 

Betty threw her head back and laughed, a loud, wholehearted laugh that sounded foreign to even her own ears. After a beat, Jughead began to laugh along with her. She hadn’t felt this happy and carefree in a long time. 

 

After her mother died, Betty felt like she just couldn’t catch a break. Her life fell apart so quickly that even looking back now, her road to this exact moment had been more than a little bumpy. It all started with having to drop out of school and ended with her quitting her job just yesterday. It seemed everything that could have gone wrong did and with that, luck had become a foreign concept to her. But sitting in this red vinyl booth, in the diner across from Jughead who was shamelessly flirting with her and making her laugh made her feel like her luck was about to change. 

 

She supposed the universe was funny like that, sending you exactly what you needed in the most unconventional way. 

 

Betty reached across the table and put her hand over Jughead’s, “Jughead, thank you.” she said softly. 

 

It was Jughead’s turn to blush, “No problem Betts.” 

 

Their conversation continued discussing favorite movies and hobbies they liked to do in their free time. What really got the conversation going between them though, was the topic of writing. It started with Betty telling Jughead about her journalism degree and what she hoped to do with it someday. She was completely caught off guard when Jughead told her about a novel he had been working on over the last few years based on the crime that happened in his hometown as he was growing up. 

 

When their plates were cleared, and the waitress brought over the check, Betty went to reach for it but Jughead snatched off the table before she could even look at it. 

 

“My treat,” he said gruffly.

 

Betty smiled at him, “Jughead that really is not necessary. We’re friends and I usually only let guys pay for my meals when they take me on a date…” 

 

There was an awkward pregnant pause between them as Betty mentally kicked herself. 

 

“Yeah well, considering I didn’t have to pay for a speeding ticket this morning, I can afford it.” Jughead quipped, winking at her. 

 

Betty’s jaw dropped in awe of his audacity and then she started to laugh. 

 

“Too soon?” he asked smirking at her. 

 

She playfully swatted him in the arm as they got up from the booth, “Yes! Way too soon.” 

 

When they exited the diner and walked out onto the sidewalk, there was another pause between them but this time it wasn’t awkward. Betty didn’t want to leave Jughead yet, she enjoyed spending time with him and she wondered if he felt the same way too. 

 

He scratched the back of his neck, “So I guess I’ll see you soon?” 

 

“Yes, definitely. I’m sure Veronica and Archie already have our next happy hour planned.” Betty said, rolling her eyes. 

 

Jughead laughed, “Ok. See you soon then.” 

 

“See you soon.” 

 

They waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways with the promise of ‘see you soon’ hanging between them. Betty walked back towards her apartment with a new pep in her step, feeling lighter than she had in longer than she could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> So what did you think about how it went during the courthouse scene? Did Betty redeem herself? What about the proposed "do over"? Do we think these two can finally put the ticket and their preconceived notions behind them? 
> 
> As always we hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and look forward to reading your thoughts!


	5. Stay

During their shift that evening after the lunch ‘date’, Archie grilled Jughead on the hearing. Jughead conceded after a few hours and filled him in on the apology. He told Archie the ticket was upheld but the points weren’t going against her license and he was glad the whole ordeal was over. What he didn’t tell Archie, however, was the fact that he asked Betty out for lunch and she accepted shortly after the hearing. He knew there was a chance Betty would tell Veronica and the knowledge would work its way back to Archie, but he would cross that bridge when, and if, it got that far. 

Part of Jughead expected Betty to keep the lunch date from Veronica as well. He knew if he told Archie, Veronica would surely find out. If Betty didn’t want her best friend to know, he didn’t want to be the one to share the details. Thankfully, knowing Veronica would be going out of town for a week for work gave him some time to hopefully reach out to her and figure out what they should say, if anything at all.

It was ridiculous, really. He was stewing over who was going to share that they went out to lunch. He felt like he was back in highschool, once again trying his best to avoid the gossip and rumors that plagued him all of his life. While this ‘gossip’, if they wanted to call it that, wasn’t even all that juicy, he knew it wasn’t his place to say anything if she wasn’t comfortable with it. If it was up to Jughead, he would shout from the rooftops that a girl as beautiful as Betty Cooper willingly spent time with him and actually seemed to enjoy herself. He was not Betty, however, and the idea of her being upset that he shared details from their rendezvous was enough for him to omit the instance all together until he clarified what she wanted.

Their shift continued on as usual, Archie and Jughead answered a few domestic disturbance calls and responded to two different accident scenes. It was a wonder Archie found any time at all to tease him about Betty. However, Archie being the best friend that he was, snatched up every opportunity to throw out a remark about the blonde. Everything from how pretty she was to how many times she laughed at his less than funny jokes the night before was brought up. Jughead continually dodged the endless questions and suggestive comments. 

It was becoming obvious that Archie knew Jughead had a crush on Betty. As much as he tried to avoid the topic, he couldn’t help the way he smirked at her name each time it was tossed around. 

Each time her name came out of Archie’s mouth Jughead just couldn’t seem to stop picturing her. His mind kept drifting back to memory of her adorably flushed cheeks and the way the skin around her lips would crease just the slightest bit when she was holding back a smile. What really got him though, was the way their flirty banter visibly affected her, despite her ability to easily keep up with the quips.

“You like her don’t you?” Archie asked, snapping Jughead from his reverie. It was toward the end of their shift and easily the tenth time he had asked the same question within the last few hours. The final attempt from his best friend, however, didn’t sound the same. Archie sounded serious, concerned, and maybe still a bit curious. The sincerity in his tone pushed Jughead to finally answer.

“Maybe. I don’t really know. At the very least, I don’t entirely hate being around her anymore.” Jughead offered as explanation for his peculiar behavior.

“Well, well, Jug, coming from you that’s practically a declaration of love!” Archie joked.

Jughead felt a slight heat rise to his cheeks and ducked out of the car as they pulled up to the station. He should have known that Archie knew him too well to miss the obvious way he reacted at the mere mention of her name.

Their shift ended and they made their way home. Archie dropped Jughead off to go see Veronica before her flight. 

“I’ll be back later, rest up for your next shift. I’ll make sure to keep my mouth shut about your undying love for her best friend.” Archie said with a wink. 

“Shut up!” Jughead groaned as he shut the car door. Jughead went up to their apartment and settled in for the night. He hoped Archie was serious about keeping his word and not mentioning anything to Veronica, but the idea of Archie keeping a secret was nearly laughable after their experiences over the years. Archie was honest as the day was long and he had a tendency to say things without thinking more often than not. Jughead knew it was only a matter of time before the information slipped out in regular conversation and he groaned again wondering how he would handle it when it inevitably happened.

 

Jughead had been disappointed when Archie informed him Veronica was leaving town for a week for work the very next day and there wouldn’t be any group outings during that time. He knew, realistically, that he shouldn’t be disappointed; but that didn’t stop the feeling from creeping into his thoughts. It was almost surprising to him, the amount of time he spent thinking of Betty. The idea that he wouldn’t see her for a week weighing heavily on his mind. Part of him expected Betty to simply be around all the time after their lunch ‘date’. The custody agreement had been lifted and he hoped it meant that he would see more of her in their group outings. Without Veronica around, however, it seemed incredibly unlikely that would happen for at least a week, and all of the sudden, that sounded like an unbearably long amount of time to Jughead. 

 

-

 

Nearly a week had passed since Jughead had seen or heard from Betty. It was strange for Jughead to feel so strongly for anyone after only a matter of days. 

When they parted ways the promise of ‘see you soon’ hung in the air. They both spoke it, although neither of them knew when exactly ‘soon’ would be. 

Jughead had toyed with the idea of texting her over the last few days. He still wasn’t sure if he should tell Archie about their lunch. He assumed by Archie’s lack of mention, Betty hadn’t told Veronica yet, or Veronica hadn’t told Archie yet. 

It wouldn’t be difficult for Jughead to reach out to Betty and clear up how she wanted to handle it. He did, after all, have her phone number already from the apology text that never came. It appeared to be a repeat scenario as the texts he typed and erased piled up in his mind. He couldn’t quite think of how to start.

He wasn’t sure what to say to her after their impromptu lunch ‘date’ - he still wasn't even sure if that’s what it was. Neither truly established it during the meal, but the ruse of their do over made it feel more like a date than a simple lunch.

It had been a long time since Jughead really went on a date. When he evaded the ‘date’ comment at the time, it didn’t have anything to do with his feelings against it being a date, rather it was more about his disbelief she would willingly label their lunch a ‘date’ without a second thought. It appeared as soon as the words breached her lips, her brain caught up to her and she realized how ridiculous it was on her end - if the pregnant pause was any indication. He would have gladly asked her out on a date, but her hesitations made it seem pretty clear that that wasn’t her original intention. 

Jughead stared at the blank screen and debated again how to start the conversation. His thoughts were interrupted when Archie knocked on his door before promptly entering the room.

“I guess the knock was more warning me you were coming in than asking permission?” Jughead teased.

“Basically. It’s not like I’d walk in on you with a girl or anything. I happen to know we both worked a late shift and no one has entered or exited the apartment since we got home last night.” 

Jughead laughed, of course Archie automatically assumed the only way he wouldn’t be able to enter Jughead’s room was if a girl was with him. A fleeting image of the blonde he was debating on texting laying on his mattress, hair splayed out on his pillow, wrapped in his sheets and nothing else crossed his mind before he refocused on Archie in front of him, effectively killing any kind of arousal the image would typically bring.

“Care to explain the sudden need to bust into my room Arch?” Jughead asked.

“Yeah, Ronnie is coming back tomorrow night and she just texted me that one of her friends is DJing at this bar a few blocks away from her apartment. I know she’s bringing Betty and I thought I’d see if you wanted to join?”

Jughead felt his heartbeat quicken at the mention of her name. While Jughead and Veronica had found common ground, he knew the agony of being third wheel with ‘Varchie’, a nickname they coined themselves and used far too often for his taste. 

“Yeah, sure.” Jughead was trying to act casual, but the way Archie beamed at him made it obvious his ploy wasn’t working.

“Good. Well I’ll let you get back to…,” Archie paused and gestured at the general vicinity of the room, “whatever it was you were doing in here.”

Jughead chuckled and tipped his head in Archie’s direction and expected to hear the door close instead of Archie’s next comment.

“By the way, wear something nice. Ronnie said she likes your navy blue button up shirt with your dark wash jeans. She wanted me to tell you she doesn’t think you’ll have a shot with Betty if you keep wearing the converse and plaid.” Archie winked at him, halfway out of the room already, and shut the door before Jughead could respond.

He groaned loudly and brought his hands up to cover his face in exasperation. Now that they were going to see each other, he really did need to text her. Jughead needed to know what Betty had already said or more importantly, what she hadn’t said, before they were all together again. Veronica was sneaky and if they were all well on their way to intoxication, it was possible her leading questions could uncover something Betty hadn’t wanted to share. Or maybe she did. The uncertainty had to end and Jughead finally decided on the perfect opening line for the text.

Jughead Jones: Hey, it’s Jughead.

He pressed send before he even read it again, knowing if he didn’t send it right then and there, he wasn’t sure he would have sent it at all, the sudden sense of urgency inspiring him.

He looked back over the text once more and instantly regretted sending it. There were a litany of responses she could give, or none at all. He hadn’t followed up with a ‘how are you’ or ‘save my number’ or any number of possible additions he could have said. Before he could overthink the imperfect opening anymore, his phone chimed and her named flashed across his screen.

Betty Cooper: Hey, it’s Betty.

He laughed and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding when the phone chimed again.

Betty Cooper: How are you?

Even through text, her capitalization and punctuation was formal. She stole one of the lines he had been debating on sending and he found himself immersed in their text conversation for a while.

JJ: Could be better could be worse. How has your week been?

BC: It’s been a bit lonely. V has been out of town.

Jughead briefly considered throwing out a flirty comment about how being lonely was her choice, but he knew it was too soon for that.

JJ: I heard she's coming back tomorrow and we’re all going out to see some DJ.

BC: Yeah, I didn’t realize you’d be going. :)

Jughead stared at the message for much longer than he realized, trying to formulate a response. She didn’t realize he would be going, that didn’t seem positive. But the smiley face accompanying the message made him think it wasn’t necessarily a bad surprise. 

BC: I’ll definitely be there.

She followed up before he responded to the first one and the pressure was on for him to say something back. He needed to get back to the purpose of the initial text before his imagination began to run away with him.

JJ: Me too.

JJ: I just wanted to let you know I didn’t tell Archie about our lunch.

JJ: I wasn’t sure if you wanted Veronica to know so I didn’t tell Archie. He couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.

He looked at the messages, waiting for a response and mentally kicking himself for not including more information in them. ‘Did you tell Veronica’ or ‘Is this our secret’ didn’t seem to fit the conversation and she thankfully responded before he thought about it much more.

BC: I didn’t tell her either.

Jughead felt a smile spread across his face. She hadn't told Veronica either. At the very least, that meant that he had done right by keeping it a secret. 

His happiness at the small victory was short lived when he began to think of why Betty wouldn’t share the information. Was she embarrassed? Did she not want to tell Veronica for fear of them setting her up with him again? He had been considering the reasoning behind the initial blind date and while he wasn’t sure they were quite as well matched as their friends had claimed, he also knew their chemistry was nearly palpable, there’s no way he imagined it all during lunch. 

BC: I had fun though.

Her follow up quelled any doubts that were taking root in Jughead’s mind and his boyish grin returned.

JJ: Me too.

BC: I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow! :)

He wanted to add something about doing it again sometime but he didn’t get the chance as she effectively ended the texts with her last one. The smiley face appeared again on his screen and Jughead thought about sending a final text. He decided against it, once again unhappy with any draft he came up with. 

He knew he would see her the next night and the thought, along with a near constant stream of texts from Betty carried him through his entire next shift, which was mercifully Archie-less. He and Betty had been texting random things to each other throughout the day. He bored her with a play by play of his shift and she recounted a rom com she was apparently watching on her couch. Jughead tried not to read too much into her movie choice, but ‘He’s Just Not that Into You’ seemed awfully coincidental and he hoped it didn’t reflect how she was feeling. He was, very much so, into her.

 

-

 

The next evening, Jughead was dressed and ready to go in plenty of time. He was waiting in the living room for Archie to finish getting ready when his phone chimed and her name flashed across his screen, causing a smile to stretch across his cheeks.

BC: We’re running a bit late so we’re just going to take a cab. I don’t think Veronica texted Archie yet but I wanted to give you a heads up that you don’t need to pick us up. We’ll see you at the club.

Jughead read and reread the message a few times before the sound of Archie’s door slamming shut snapped him out of his thoughts.

“The girls are running late so we’re meeting them there.” Archie called from the hallway.

Jughead almost replied with ‘I know’ before he caught himself and yelled ‘okay’ instead.

The club was packed full of people when they finally arrived. They were only about ten minutes later than they wanted to be and Archie and Jughead scanned the room as soon as they entered for the blonde and brunette duo. They both came up empty handed and made their way to the bar to order a round of drinks. Both Jughead and Archie ordered a beer and Archie ordered two fruity pink cocktails, apparently for the girls.

With all four drinks in their hands, Archie and Jughead found a booth on the side of the dancefloor that had just been vacated. They slid into the seats and arranged the drinks on the table.

About fifteen minutes later, while the boys were deep in conversation over the merits of live music vs studio produced sounds, a beacon of blonde hair caught Jughead’s eye from the door. He had been sitting sideways in the booth, strategically angling his head to see the door without wanting to seem too eager. His plan paid off when her eyes connected with his and she pulled Veronica over toward them.

Veronica made a big production out of her reunion with Archie, immediately connecting their lips and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Archie lifted her up and squeezed her tightly as their public make out became more and more heated. 

Betty and Jughead looked at each other and rolled their eyes in unison before laughing off the entire exchange.

All four were settled into the booth when the DJ started and Veronica drug Archie to the dance floor leaving just Betty and Jughead behind.

“Do you think they know we’ve been texting in secret?” Betty leaned over to ask.

Jughead was caught off guard by her question and quirked his eyebrow in her direction, trying to assess what she was attempting to accomplish.

“Oh yeah,” His voice was laden with sarcasm and she smiled as a result, egging him on, “I think they know every move we make when they’re not around. I bet they even know about the top secret lunch date.”

Betty laughed before finishing off her drink. Jughead waved down a waiter and signaled at the empty glass and bottle in front of them, silently asking for another round. The waiter nodded and made his way to the bar. When he redirected his attention back to Betty, he found her smiling in his direction.

“The show is up there you know.” He pointed to the stage surrounded by people and she glanced quickly in that direction before returning his gaze to her.

“Want to know a secret?” She shifted in the seat, turning further from the stage and inching closer to him.

Jughead gulped, her skirt was riding up slightly on the seat as she twisted her body and he willed himself to look anywhere other than the expanse of smooth skin the shift uncovered.

“Sure.”

“I really hate this DJ. We went to school with him and he’s a total jerk.” She whispered before giggling to herself.

Jughead burst out into laughter, “Oh yeah?” He asked.

She nodded in response and glanced back at the stage for a second before turning back toward him again.

“Yeah.” She said, offering no further explanation.

“If you hate this guy,” Jughead began, his couraging growing as a result of her admission, “then why’d you come tonight?”

Betty was silent for only a moment. “Maybe this seemed less boring than sitting at home. Which I happen to have done a lot over the last week with Veronica out of town and my newly unemployed status.” 

He knew he was entering dangerous territory but the liquid courage he had previously ingested opened his mouth before his brain processed. “Betts you don't have to lie, I know you're only here to see me." 

Betty looked up at him and smiled in response. “I guess you caught me.” She winked at him and Jughead felt his heart stop for a second as he glanced down to her lips. They were tinged a shade darker than her natural lips and he couldn’t help but wonder if they were as soft as they looked. Neither said a word for a minute, instead drifting just a bit close to one another as if they were magnetized. When Jughead looked up from her pout, they were mere inches from each other, neither thinking clearly enough to realize what a public place they were in, with their best friends a few feet away. 

Instead of closing the painfully small distance between them, the sound of their drinks being placed on the table startled them both, effectively ending the banter for the moment as they both took a long sip before turning toward the stage. It sure seemed like she wanted to kiss him and he couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her, the thought tiptoed into his brain before he could stop it.

***

Betty felt her heart flutter in her chest, Jughead was flirting with her and she was flirting back. She was nearly certain he wanted to kiss her as badly as she had wanted to kiss him just a moment ago. Once again Jughead pleasantly surprised her, she was shocked by his blunt attempt to flirt with her and even more shocked about how close they had just been, centimeters away from crossing a line they didn’t seem to care about anymore. When they had gone to lunch last week, he still flirted with her but it had definitely been more subtle.

This boy had game.

She never would have known that from their first meeting of course, but now Betty couldn’t wait to find out other things that Jughead was hiding about himself. 

The truth was, Betty liked Jughead. 

At first, she couldn’t deny how physically attractive he had been, even when she thought he was an asshole. Now that she was developing quite a bit of a crush, she was attracted to him for other reasons.

For starters, Betty loved how quirky he was. When she suggested the do over at lunch a week ago, Jughead could’ve just agreed to it and forgotten their rocky start. But the fact that he had actually left the table and then returned pretending he didn’t know her at all was so cute. If she wasn’t sure how she felt about him before that moment, she definitely knew after it.

The only problem was, Betty wasn’t 100% sure how Jughead felt about her. Him paying for lunch and their flirty banter hadn’t been enough to convince her, so of course, she turned to the only resource she knew to be true. Betty’s favorite movie, “He’s Just Not That Into You”. She always enjoyed the beginning of the movie, where the voice of Jennifer Goodwin came on and explains that from the sandbox, girls are programmed to believe that if a boy treats you like complete crap he clearly must be in love with you. When in truth, that notion itself is complete crap. Betty had a vivid memory from when she was little where Chuck Clayton pushed her on the playground and when the tears began to fall, her old sister Polly told her not to worry because Chuck only pushed her as a result of his crush on her. No, Chuck was just as much as a jerk at four years old as he was now.

However, this time around when she watched it, it wasn’t so she could strengthen her feminist arsenal for the next jerk that came along. This time, she was watching it so she could relisten to the advice Justin Long’s character gives to Jennifer Goodwin’s on how to tell if a guy is interested in you and construct a mental checklist.

First, if a guy hasn’t called within a couple of days, it’s because he has no interest in seeing you again. Check. Although Jughead did wait about a week and he didn’t exactly call. However, he did text her and they were millennials and honestly who talks on the phone anymore? So Betty that that was probably good enough.

Second, if a guy is treating you like he doesn't give a shit, he genuinely doesn't give a shit. No exceptions. If Betty had constructed and consulted this list the night she officially met Jughead, this definitely would’ve been a check. However, after their lunch date last week, Betty couldn’t help but believe that Jughead might care about her, or at least might give a shit. Why would he go above and beyond to initiate their do over if at least a part of him didn’t want the exact same thing she did? 

Third and last, if a guy wants to be with you, he will make it happen no matter what. Betty looked over at Jughead, he was leaning back in the booth as he watched the band play on stage. Maybe in this scenario “be with you” doesn’t necessarily mean “in a relationship”, maybe it was just if a guy wanted to spend time with you, he would make it happen. If Betty was considering the latter, it would be a check. Jughead was the one who proposed lunch last week and if she remembered correctly (although she can’t put her finger on the source) Jughead didn’t like crowded noisy places like clubs but here he was anyway.

Betty leaned towards Jughead’s ear, “Why’d you come tonight?” 

Jughead looked at her, his classic sexy smirk on his face, “To see you, of course.” 

Betty blushed crimson and silently prayed that the club was dark enough to hide it. She couldn’t 100% tell if Jughead was genuine or if he was just continuing their flirty banter. 

Well, she thought to herself, two out of three ain’t bad.

They must’ve been staring at each other for a second too long because Betty heard a throat clear, effectively popping the bubble of whatever moment they were just having for the second time that evening. Betty turned to see Veronica and Archie staring at them, a shit eating grin on both of their faces.

“Betty,” Veronica chirped, “I have to go to the ladies room, come with?” 

Betty resisted the urge to roll her eyes, she knew this was just one of Veronica’s not so innocent ploys to get information out of her. 

“Sure, V.” 

Veronica led the way and Betty casted a quick look over her shoulder at Jughead before dutifully following her to the bathroom. They went into separate stalls to pee, came out, and washed their hands all in silence. Betty was beginning to think that Veronica wasn’t going to say anything to her about Jughead but realized all too soon that that was just wishful thinking.

“So, things look like they’re going well between you and Jughead.” Veronica said before uncapping her liquid lipstick and applying a fresh coat. 

Betty shrugged, leaning against the sink, “Yeah I guess.” 

“You two looked cozy back there in the booth, did anything happen after the court case?” 

Betty knew already that Jughead hadn’t said anything to Archie about their impromptu lunch date and that Veronica was just fishing for information. She didn’t’ want to lie to Veronica but truthfully, for once in her life, Betty didn’t want to tell Veronica this secret. Whatever was happening between her and Jughead was new and she didn’t want Veronica to overwhelm them despite her best intentions. So for now, anything about Jughead was going to stay between her and Jughead. 

“Nope, he just thanked me for my apology and said he’d see me soon.” Betty replied nonchalantly. 

Veronica recapped her liquid lipstick, “And you two haven’t spoken since then?” 

Betty shook her head, “No, we haven’t.” 

Veronica popped her liquid lip back into her handbag and turned to look at her, scrutiny written all over her face. Betty attempted to keep her face neutral and not give anything away. 

“You like him don’t you?” Veronica asked, quirking an eyebrow. 

This time Betty did roll her eyes, “Veronica…” 

“You do! You definitely do!” Veronica chanted excitedly. 

“I like him as a friend,” Betty stated firmly, cutting Veronica off, “That’s it though. We’re just friends.” 

“Uh huh, I’m sure we could get that to ‘more than friends’ in no time,” Veronica said suggestively. 

Betty sighed, “Veronica, I’m not really ready for a relationship right now, especially considering the shit show that the last year of my life has been. So please, just stay out of it.” 

Veronica’s face immediately fell, “I’m sorry, Betty. I was just teasing you, but if that’s what you want, then I won’t meddle.” 

“Thanks V, I really appreciate it.” Betty said, pulling her friend in for a hug. 

Betty felt bad for lying to her best friend and she knew using her mother’s death was a low blow, but she didn’t want Veronica to influence anything that was going on between her and Jughead and she honestly wasn’t sure if she was ready for a relationship. The vaguely defined hangout hardly qualifying as such made her feel less guilty about the lying. After his first impression of her, it was important to Betty that they got to know each other on their own terms.

When the girls got back out to the dance floor, the DJ was playing a remix of one of their favorite songs from college. 

“Oh my god!” Veronica exclaimed, “We used to love this song! C’mon B let’s dance!” 

Betty laughed as Veronica grabbed her hands and they began to move their bodies to the pulsing rhythm. When they were in college, she and Veronica used to go out clubbing every other weekend. She used to love it, heading out to the middle of the floor with her friends and letting off steam. Betty knew she wasn’t the best dancer, especially compared to Veronica, but she felt confident that she held her own. She used to be a cheerleader after all. When the song ended they decided to stay out on the dancefloor for another song. Veronica insisted they move slightly closer to where Archie and Jughead were sitting so the guys could watch them. Betty rolled her eyes but also didn’t protest when Veronica pulled her back closer to the booth they had been sitting in. She was used to being Veronica’s wingwoman but this time, instead of all eyes being on Veronica, Betty knew the eyes of a least one certain beanie clad man would be on her. 

Betty had never been the type of woman to strut her stuff in an effort to get a man’s attention but for Jughead she would certainly make a exception. Once they were in view of the two men still sitting at the booth Veronica began to move to the beat again, grabbing Betty’s hand in the process and spinning her around. Betty laughed and felt a pulse of excitement travel down her spine like a jolt of electricity from the knowledge that Jughead was watching her. 

After another song, Betty could feel the sweat start to drip down her back. She looked over her shoulder briefly and felt herself go scarlet when she caught Jughead blatantly staring at her with an almost hungry look in his eyes. This wasn’t the first time she had caught Jughead staring at her that night, but usually when she did he would look away and scratch the back of his neck or look around at anything but her. This time was different when they locked eyes, his gaze never moving. Betty felt like her skin was on fire under Jughead’s heated gaze, like he was stripping her dress off with his eyes. Betty swallowed and her thighs involuntarily pressed together to stop the heat that was spreading there. 

“Betty!” Veronica yelled over the music. 

Betty snapped her attention to her friend, forgetting all about Jughead and the delicious dark places his stunning blue eyes brought her to.

“What?” Betty yelled back. 

“I asked if you wanted to take a break.” Veronica said. 

Betty nodded and Veronica took her hand and led her back to the table. Jughead moved further into the booth to make room for her. Betty gave him a gracious smile, appreciating that he wasn’t one of those guys who had to sit on the outside all the time. When she looked back over to Veronica, Betty saw that her friend had wasted no time at all as she sat down on Archie’s lap. They were whispering something into each other’s ears, Archie biting his lower lip and squeezing Veronica’s side as she giggled. 

Betty resisted the urge to gag as she watched the over-the-top display of affection. 

“I’m thirsty, I’m going to go get a drink from the bar.” Betty said to Jughead. 

“I’ll go with you,” he offered. 

Betty figured Jughead was just as eager to get away from the couple as she was. When they got up from the booth, Betty straightened her dress and then just as she was about to take her first step towards the bar Jughead placed his hand firmly on the small of her back. Betty bit the inside of her cheek to stop the giddy smile that threatened to break out across her face. 

Luckily, they found a spot at the bar where both of them could stand comfortably. Betty thought they would have to wait awhile to get the bartender's attention but Jughead took a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and used it to signal the bartender and he came right over. 

Jughead ordered a beer and then pointed to Betty. He raised his eyebrows slightly when all she order was ice water with lemon. Betty shrugged sheepishly and then put her elbows on the bar so that she could face forward and not feel forced to look at him, trying to keep her less than pure thoughts at bay. 

The bartender delivered their drinks quickly and Betty eagerly took a sip of the cool liquid, pressing the plastic cup to the side of her face. Dancing with Veronica definitely counted as a cardio workout. 

Betty wondered if they should go back to their friends but quickly decided against it when she looked and saw that Veronica and Archie were now making out in the booth where they’d left them. 

After a beat, she felt Jughead lean in as he said, “You looked really good out there.” 

Betty felt the heat in her body rise to her cheeks again and she silently prayed that the dim lighting in the club masked the color in her cheeks. 

“Thanks,” she replied smiling up at him, “Veronica and I used to go dancing all the time in college, I think I forgot how fun it was.” 

“Archie used to drag me out all the time when we were in college. I’ve never been a good dancer, so I used to just stand at the bar until he was ready to go home or found someone to go home with.” he chuckled, “You make it look easy though, I’m kind of jealous.” 

“I’m sure you’re fine out on the dance floor.” Betty chided, she always had a hard time taking compliments. 

“Eh, I’m ok, I could definitely benefit from a good teacher like you though,” Jughead said winking at her. 

Betty laughed, she didn’t know if it was the alcohol he had had or if he was always this smooth with women. Although from what Betty has heard about Jughead from Veronica and Archie, she assumed it was the alcohol. She didn’t mind though, she loved this shamelessly flirty side of him. She was just about to open her mouth to make a quip about going out on the dancefloor for their first lesson when the shape of someone familiar caught her eye. 

Betty did a double take and squinted to get a better view of what had grabbed her attention. Her whole body stiffened as every hair on her body stood to attention as she watched Drew walk across the dance floor, heading her way. 

“No fucking way,” she breathed in alarm. 

Jughead furrowed his brows in confusion, “Betty? Is everything ok?” 

“No.” Betty said quickly and then turned so that her back was facing the direction Drew was coming from. Her fingers curled into her palm as she hoped that he hadn’t seen her. 

“Betty what is it?” Jughead asked gently placing a hand on her shoulder. 

“My boss, well my ex boss now… the one who told me I was ‘so far from normal’? Yeah, he’s here.” Anxiety gripped her chest as her heartbeat started to quicken thumping loudly in her ears. 

“Betty it’s ok, you quit remember? You don’t owe that guy anything.” Jughead said reassuringly.

“Jughead, you don’t understand!” Betty said exasperated. 

“Then make me understand.” Jughead said firmly, his strong fingers gripping her shoulder. 

“He looked at my personal computer! He-” Betty paused, remembering the look of disgust on Drew’s face when he saw Betty’s palms raw and bleeding, “knows things about me.” 

Jughead scowled, “What do you mean he looked at your personal computer? That’s illegal!” 

“It doesn’t matter now!” Betty said, cutting him off. Betty squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep steadying breath. 

Realistically, Betty knew Jughead was right, she didn’t owe Drew anything and it probably was illegal for him to look through her personal laptop without her permission. That wasn’t what bothered her though, she worried about what he would say about her, she worried he might say something about the things that made her ‘so far from normal’, about the angry red crescent shapes that currently littered her palms. 

Betty opened her eyes again and found Jughead looking at her, worry etched all over his features. Drew had settled into the bar a few stools down, mercifully not even sparing another glance in their direction.

She sighed, “Please Jughead, I really just want to go home.” 

“Ok,” Jughead said, “Let’s get you home.” 

“We should probably tell Veronica and Archie right?” Betty asked, pointing her chin towards their friends. 

Jughead nodded as he slung his arm protectively around her shoulder and led them back to the booth they had been sitting in. 

“You’re going?” Veronica asked clearly disappointed. 

“Yeah V, I’m feeling really tired all of the sudden. You two should stay though, Jughead offered to walk me home.” 

Veronica turned to Archie who shrugged before looking back at her, “Ok B, we’ll be home later.” 

Betty and Jughead waved goodbye to their friends and Jughead placed his hand on the small of her back again leading her out of the club. Despite her rising anxiety and panic, Jughead’s hand placed firmly on her made her feel safer somehow, like he was grounding her to the present. On their way out, they stopped by the coat check. 

“Here give me your ticket for your coat and I’ll go get it.” Jughead offered. 

“Thank you,” Betty said warmly as she handed him the ticket. 

Jughead leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, smirking at her when he pulled away. 

“Don’t go anywhere.” he said with wink. 

“I won’t,” she promised. 

Betty smiled like a loon as she watched Jughead walk over to the coat check. She checked the time on her phone, it was just after midnight. Even though she wanted to leave the club, she didn’t want her time with Jughead to end. Maybe she could invite him in for a drink or to watch a movie when they got to her place. She had a sneaking suspicion he might just accept.

“Well look who it is,” a familiar voice said, effectively breaking Betty out of her train of thought, “I didn’t know they let unstable freak shows into places like these.” 

Betty’s head snapped to the voice as a whole new wave of anxiety slammed into her chest when she saw Drew standing beside her. Her eyes widened in alarm, he was clearly drunk as he was slurring his words and using the wall to hold himself up. Betty crossed her arms across her chest in a defensive motion, she just wanted to disappear. 

“Leave me alone Drew,” she said weakly as she began to walk away.

Drew reached out and grabbed her upper arm forcefully, “Now wait just a minute! I should charge you for you leaving me high and dry without a replacement!”

Betty whirled around, “Oh you mean you had to go get your own obnoxious coffee order? Imagine that, must be really hard. Now let go of me!” 

Drew pulled her towards him, their bodies practically pressing together and it made Betty want to vomit. She tried to jerk away from him but he held her too tightly. 

“Don’t forget sweetheart, without me you’d be nothing.” Drew said into her ear. 

“Hey! Get your hands off of her!” 

Before Betty could react she watched as Jughead grabbed Drew by the shoulders, violently pulling him back and away from Betty. Drew stumbled backwards, his head snapping back as he hit the wall behind him. Jughead put himself between her and Drew taking a defensive stance like he was prepared for Drew to do something stupid like attempted to fight someone trained for combat. 

Drew seemed to regain his composure and there was a sinister look in his eye as he lunged forward again and Jughead punched him square in the jaw. Betty yelped in surprised as her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Surprisingly, Drew staggered to his feet. 

“You’re going to pay for that asshole! I’m going to call the police and press charges!” Drew growled before spitting blood on the floor. 

Jughead laughed, “I am the police you idiot and while I’m sure my supervising officer wouldn’t be too pleased that I punched a man off duty I’m sure he’d understand once we pull the security footage.” Jughead said pointing to a camera in the corner of the room. “And while we’re at it, I’ll have Ms. Cooper over here press charges for harassment and you looking through her personal laptop without her consent.” 

The two men stared at each other, pure violent hatred transpiring between them. Betty couldn’t take it anymore, as much as she loved watching Jughead defend her, she really just wanted to go home and forget about everything and she really didn’t want him to get in trouble over an asshole like Drew. 

Betty grabbed Jughead’s arm, “C’mon Jughead let’s just go, he’s not worth it.” 

To her relief, Jughead went with her willingly. He grabbed her coat from the coat check counter and held it out for her to put on before shrugging on his own. They exited the club and walked down the street in silence. 

They had made it about two blocks when Jughead finally spoke, “Betty I’m really sorry about what I did back there. I’m not usually that violent… I’m sorry if I scared you. I just saw that guy on you and something in me snapped.” 

“Jughead, no!” Betty said softly as she stopped walking and turned to him. She placed a hand gently on his arm. “I appreciate you defending me I… don’t want to think about what could’ve happened if you hadn’t been there.” 

Jughead grimaced and then pulled her into a hug, his arms strong and warm enveloping her tightly. Betty melted into him as she pressed her face into his neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent that was so uniquely him.They stayed like that for a long moment, just enjoying each other’s warmth. Betty couldn’t remember the last time she felt so safe and she relished in the feeling, wishing she could freeze them in this moment forever. 

“Seriously though, if he bothers you again I am going to kick his ass.” Jughead threatened, his words slipping over the shell of her ear and sending shivers up her spine. 

Betty giggled and pulled away from him. “Ok tough guy, let’s not go and get any ideas.” 

Jughead put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as they continued to walk down the street. 

“Aw c’mon Betts,” Jughead whined, “you saw me back there, I could totally obliterate that douche bag!” 

Betty laughed again, “Obliterate? You play way too many video games.” 

Jughead grinned down at her sheepishly, “Guilty.” 

They continued their walk back to Betty’s apartment, talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. Betty decided that she loved the feeling of Jughead’s arm around her shoulders with her tucked into his side, into his warmth. Betty decided right then and there that she didn’t want to be just friends with Jughead, she wanted to be more than that. Despite their unconventional beginning, she always felt happier when he was around as of late and Betty knew she could use more of that in her life. 

When they got to her apartment building, Jughead walked inside with her insisting that he escort her all the way to her door. They rode the elevator in companionable silence. Betty’s heart began to race as she tried to work up the courage to invite him in. 

They stepped off the elevator and walked the short distance down the hall to her to the entrance of her apartment. There was a slight awkward pause between them, Betty couldn’t speak for Jughead, but she was pausing because, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him yet.  
Mustering up all the courage she could find within herself, Betty reached out and took Jughead’s hand. His eyes shot up to hers as he stepped closer to her, their bodies incredibly close but not quite touching. 

“Thank you for tonight Jughead, I had a really nice time.” she said quietly, her voice just above a whisper. 

“Anytime Betts,” Jughead replied, his voice sounding gravelly.

Betty brought her hands up and tentatively cupped his face before leaning up to gently press her lips to his. Jughead’s hands slid around her lower back, pulling her closer so their bodies pressed together. The kiss was over just as quickly as it began and they slowly pulled away from each other, their breathing shaky. 

Jughead cleared his throat, “I guess I should go.”

Betty licked her lips, “Or you could stay.” 

Betty looked up at him, she could see the fiery lust in his eyes, but she could also see a great deal of hesitation. She pulled away from him, taking her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door. She turned the door knob and opened the door slightly before looking back at him. 

“Stay.” she said again before trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. 

Jughead looked at her lips and then back up to her eyes, he closed his eyes and sighed like he was trying to hold onto every ounce of self-control he had. She waited patiently for an answer but when Jughead opened his eyes again, the hesitation she had just seen was gone, replaced by a deep sensual hunger. Instead of vocalizing his answer, Jughead grabbed her face covering her mouth with his in a needy, thorough kiss before backing her up into the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, what did you guys think?!
> 
> Was the banter at the bar flirty enough? Did you like how Jughead handled Drew?
> 
> Leave us your thoughts and theories in the comments! We love every bit of feedback we get
> 
> P.S. This is my (bugggghead) absolute favorite chapter so far & I hope you all liked it too!


	6. Secrets Between Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for your patience with the update of this chapter- we hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Warning: SMUT ahead

_ “Stay.” she said again before trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. _

_ Jughead looked at her lips and then back up to her eyes, he closed his eyes and sighed like he was trying to hold onto every ounce of self-control he had. She waited patiently for an answer but when Jughead opened his eyes again, the hesitation she had just seen was gone, replaced by a deep sensual hunger. Instead of vocalizing his answer, Jughead grabbed her face covering her mouth with his in a needy, thorough kiss before backing her up into the apartment. _

_ - _

 

Any apprehension Jughead had of taking Betty up on her offer to ‘stay’ disappeared when he looked into her eyes and saw them darkened with the same shade of lust he was sure could be found in his. When their mouths met, a burning blaze ignited deep inside of him and he guided her back into the apartment, palms securely against each cheek and tongue delving into the depths of her mouth. She tasted even sweeter than he had imagined, a sultry combination of her drinks from earlier and a unique sugary taste he was sure could be trademarked Betty Cooper.

As soon as they were over the threshold, he kicked the door closed and spun her around, caging her between his arms with her back pressed against the hard wooden surface. His hands traveled from her jaw to the hemline of her shirt and he eagerly pulled the material up and out of her skirt as her hands made quick work of his buttons, their mouths never losing contact. With each press of his lips or flick of his tongue, Jughead felt Betty respond with fervor.  Thankfully, her blouse was also a button up and as they moved through the apartment and toward what he assumed was her bedroom, still connected, they littered the hallway with their shirts.

Betty had been directing him the entire way, backing him up through the apartment with the force of her lips, the bruising pressure steering him as they went. When they entered her bedroom, Jughead didn’t stop moving until the backs of his knees hit the bed, careening them backward and she tumbled down on top of him separating their lips for the first time since they connected. As far as first kisses went, he decided that one was probably never going to be topped.

“Jug,” her voice was low, pleading, “the door.”

Jughead pulled back and quirked an eyebrow in her direction, tilting his head for good measure. “Really? That’s what you’re thinking about in the middle of our moment?” he said incredulously.

“Please,” she said, breathier than he expected and his body involuntarily responded, twitching against her core that was already radiating heat clear through his thick jeans.

Jughead got up and stumbled to the door, he shut it, locked it, and driven by the feeling of her soft skin beneath his fingertips, resumed his earlier position faster than he physically thought possible. Not only did Betty taste sweeter than he imagined, she felt better beneath his hands than he had thought. Her smooth, supple skin was impossibly soft and the way it felt pressed against his bare chest was far more intoxicating that their drinks earlier that night.

Their lips met again in an urgent, needy kiss. His lean body pressed her slender frame further into the mattress as the intensity of the moment skyrocketed. Neither could form a coherent thought past ‘yes’ or ‘more’ as they stripped each other down to nothing but the wisps of fabric formerly hidden beneath their clothes. She was left in only the underwear from the matching black lace lingerie set that made his mouth practically water and he was down to only his boxers - the thin cotton doing nothing to hide his obvious erection.

Jughead began trailing kisses down her jaw, along the milky white column of her neck, over her chest, and all the way to where the dark lace met her pale skin in a tantalizing contrast. He licked along the juncture of flesh and fabric, relishing in the way Betty was tugging on his hair and gasping in response. It was as if she was directing him, telling him what she liked, and each time he obeyed, she made sure he knew it. Their bodies were moving in a well-synchronized dance, despite their lack of shared experience.

Jughead had been with other women before, plenty of them in fact, but no one responded so vehemently to his touch as Betty. She was like putty in his hands and it turned him on even more. He wasn’t entirely sure why it was so different with Betty. Maybe it was the drinks that night loosening them up, maybe it was because it had been a long time since he had been with another woman, or maybe, just maybe it was the unspoken sexual tension between the two of them that had started the first time she tried shamelessly flirting with him to get out of ticket. Maybe the tension had finally grown to a point of no return, so incredibly thick it finally snapped, like a tightly wound band, finally reaching it’s breaking point.

“Jug,” she moaned, pulling his face back up toward hers, “touch me.”

“Mmm… Betty,” he breathed against her lips, “I am touching you.” He couldn’t resist teasing her, especially when she was so malleable under his grip. He wanted her to beg for it, he wanted to be sure that she wanted him just as much as he desperately wanted her. Truthfully, somewhere buried deep down, he didn’t understand how someone like her could possibly want him. 

Betty groaned and leaned forward to capture his lips in a bruising kiss. She swiped her tongue along his bottom lip and he happily granted her entrance again. He felt her reach up and grab one of his hands from where it sat bracketing her face. She remained fastened onto his lips, sucking and nipping as she guided his hands lower and lower until he felt the distinct texture of slick, soaking wet lace.

“Fuck Betts,” he growled, pulling back only a centimeter before capturing her mouth again.

She raised her hips, chasing his hand from beneath as her other hand pressed him further into her. He hooked a finger around the lace on her hip and yanked the material down, too impatient to wait and too wound up to deny her. Her hand still hovered between them, capturing his once more as soon as the flimsy lace was discarded.

Their tongues tangled in a battle of dominance, as her hands directed his long fingers to where she needed him most. She laid her palm flat atop his, each finger lined up as she guided him further between her dripping folds. She sunk his finger into her before bringing hers back up to grip his muscular back.

He pumped two fingers in and out as Betty turned into a moaning, writhing mess from his touch. Each time he curled a digit upward, he felt her buck in response, moaning his name like a prayer and causing his impossibly hard cock to twitch against her leg. Within mere minutes of the assault on her core, he felt her tighten and release around his fingers.

“More,” he growled again, moving his mouth down to capture the pebbled peak on her chest. He sucked and bit and worked on one breast before moving to the other, rewarding her with equal attention on each side. Each time he sunk his teeth in just a bit or sucked a little harder, he felt her flutter around his fingers.

 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t bite,” she teased breathlessly, “even if I wanted you to,” stuttering the words in synchronicity with each thrust of his fingers.

 

“I thought you said, you wouldn’t want me to,” he murmured, sinking his teeth into her nipple a bit harder in an ironic twist of fate. The added pressure sending her into overdrive, tightening around his fingers once more until she finally released again. The way she responded to his touch was driving him mad and all Jughead knew is he wanted her. He wanted all of her. Right then. He withdrew his fingers, bringing them up to his mouth and sucking them clean. Betty’s eyes darkened and she captured her bottom lip between her teeth, urging him on.

She looked over at her nightstand, signaling for him to grab protection and he was grateful his arms were long enough to retrieve the rubber without having to drag himself away from her. If it had been any further, he may have just taken her with him, unable to resist the burning feeling each touch of her skin left him with. 

 

She tugged at the waistline of his boxers and stripped them off, tossing them to the side with the other discarded clothes before grabbing the foil package. She rolled it on him and he settled back between her legs.

Betty wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him forward, entering her in a single, fluid motion. Once full sheathed, they both groaned loudly. Their lips met again as their bodies found an easy rhythm. It certainly wasn’t romantic or sensual, but it was passionate, fiery, threatening to burn them both from the inside out.

Just like before, with each move he made, she followed, as if it was a well-practiced dance. Despite them being practically strangers, their bodies seemed like old friends, familiar in all of the right ways.

Betty sunk her nails into his shoulder blades and he cupped her jaw, angling it to expose the expanse of skin on her neck. He sucked dark bruises into her collar bone, marking her as his own, even if it was just for their eyes and even if it was just for tonight. 

With each swipe of his tongue across her skin, he felt her breath grow more labored. She began to flutter around him and Jughead picked up the pace. He had been holding back, afraid he would spill before bringing her to the brink again, but as she gasped and moaned, he knew they were both nearing release.

With one final thrust, they both reached their peak, falling apart with each other’s names clinging to their lips.

\--

They were laying in Betty’s bed, sheets wrapped around their tangled limbs as he caressed her blonde waves, the same waves that were far more tamed earlier that night. He leaned down to press a soft kiss against her hairline and she tightened her grip on his torso. Their bodies were still buzzing, easily responding to one another, even after the intensity of their first time had begun to fade.

“So, that happened,” she laughed.

“Yeah, three times for you if I recall correctly,” he chuckled. Betty turned a deep shade of scarlet and Jughead reached down to tilt her face upward, connecting their eyes. “Please don’t be embarrassed, Betts. I liked it, trust me.” She flushed even deeper and buried her head into his chest.

“I didn’t plan on that happening.”

Jughead couldn’t help but laugh, “Really? You didn’t think when you were dancing at the club, watching me practically fuck you with my eyes that we might wind up sleeping together?” He shifted their bodies again, pulling her on top of him and hovering just below her lips, “You’re telling me, you asked me to stay and somehow you still didn’t think this would happen?” His voice was low, vibrating through his chest, thick with need despite their earlier romp.

“I hoped,” she whispered, her warm breath caressing his lips. She bit her lower lip slightly and Jughead couldn’t resist anymore, his body was more than ready for her again and the vision of her openly admitting she wanted him and she wasn’t sure he wanted her was driving him mad.

There were no barriers between them this time, their clothes still littering the hallway and the floor around them. She easily sunk down on him, straightening up and pulling him to sit up along with her. From this position, he had full access to her chest and he worked the dusty peaks as she rose and fell on his cock. It wasn’t rhythmic or mind-blowing, but it was fast and full of desire. It was as if he felt insatiable around her like he might never get enough to quench the need that was growing by the minute.

\--

Betty had gone into the kitchen, it had to have been the early hours of the morning, but neither paid attention to silly constraints like time while they explored every inch of each other. Jughead had never been an overly sexual person, having flings and one night stands here and there to satisfy his most basic needs; but being around Betty was different. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to touch her constantly, the image of her naked body now burned into his brain wasn’t helping his needy hands either. Physically, she was flawless, but Jughead was attracted to more than that about her. Her wit and humor easily matched his own and her gentle caring nature was like a breath of fresh air to him. Everything about her fit his idea of perfect so closely it was almost scary.

She wandered back into the room, a glass of water in each hand and their shirts draped over her forearms.

“I didn’t want Veronica to come back home and find these,” she said as an explanation.

Jughead’s earlier reverie was slipping away as the menacing thoughts crept into his brain once more. She still didn’t want their friends to know and that made Jughead’s heartache.

“Yeah,” he replied curtly.

Betty must have noticed his change in demeanor. She set down the water, tossed the clothes to the side and cuddled up to him, draping his arm around her shoulders and snuggling into his chest. “Jug,” she began softly, “I like this, whatever it is. I think I like you too, but can you imagine what would happen if they found out what this was before we did?”

Jughead thought about it for a moment, she had a fair point. He didn’t know what this was but he wanted to find out, and if that meant keeping it just between the two of them until they figured it out, he supposed it was better than not having it at all.

“You’re right,” he said, almost apologetically. She leaned up toward him, shuffling her body until their lips met.

She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, “I like you, Jughead Jones and I hope you like me too, because whatever this is – or whatever it could be,” she paused, “I like it.”

He leaned down, closing the minimal distance between them and gave her a long, thorough kiss. No teeth, no tongues, just full of raw emotion with a hint of vulnerability.

He twisted on the bed once they separated, hauling her against his study frame and wrapping her up in his arms. She whispered ‘good night’ just before his head hit the pillow and they were both asleep within minutes, comforted by the simplicity of a warm embrace.

-

Jughead woke the next morning to the sound of an alarm. He stiffened for a minute, trying to figure out where he was in his sleep induced haze. Betty was still wrapped in his arms, her entire body pressed against his and their legs intertwined. He squeezed her gently, placing a kiss to the top of her head. “Wake up, baby,” he whispered close to her ear, hoping it was loud enough to raise her while still soft enough not to be heard beyond the confines of the room.

Betty slowly opened her eyes and smiled drowsily at him. “G’morning,” she said, her voice thick with sleep.

They both heard the alarm again at the same time. Betty’s eyes widened and their current compromising position finally appeared to register in her tired brain.

“Shit,” she said, looking around the room, “shit, shit, shit.” She hastily untangled her limbs from his own and gathered their clothes, “you have to go.”

Jughead got up and pulled on his pants before tossing on his shirt. He knew if Veronica and Archie weren’t already back and inside the apartment, they probably stayed at Jughead and Archie’s apartment last night. If they came in and found him in her bedroom, their temporary ruse of being ‘just friends’ probably wouldn’t hold up. At the same time, he knew if he wasn’t there at all, even though they knew he walked her home, it would be more suspicious.

“Betty, I’m going to go lay on the couch. Give me a blanket. They already know I didn’t come home last night and they know I walked you home. If I’m not here, they’ll think something is up.”

Betty nodded, “you’re right. Just go out to the living room and I’ll be right there.”

She seemed stressed and Jughead reached forward to pull her to him. “Kiss me,” he asked, not waiting for her response before pressing his lips firmly to hers. He felt the tension melt from her rigid muscles as their mouths moved against eachother’s. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he slid his palms around to the small of her back, pulling her impossibly closer.

After a long few moments, he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, “I had fun last night,” he confessed.

“Me too.”

\--

Archie and Veronica stumbled through the door within minutes of Jughead stretching out beneath a blanket on the couch. He felt pretty pleased with himself, successfully avoiding the questions with the obvious image of him ‘sleeping’ on the couch.

They were loud enough when they arrived for him to pretend it roused him. He stretched his arms upward and let out an exaggerated yawn.

“Hey Jug, you didn’t come home last night,” Archie said, stating the obvious.

Jughead yawned again, just for good measure, “Yeah, I was tired when we got here so I just crashed on the couch. Besides, I didn’t really want to listen to you two go at it all night.”

His attempt to change the subject appeared to work as the skeptical look on Veronica’s face morphed into a bashful smile. They were both well aware of exactly how loud they got and the thin walls of the boys’ apartment did little to conceal the sounds.

Betty was still in the bathroom showering and Jughead really wanted to see her before he left, but it was looking less and less likely as Archie settled into a stool in the kitchen.

“Well, I’m gonna head out. Now that I know our apartment is empty, I’m going to go sleep on something more comfortable than this couch.” Really he was just tired from staying up more than half the night with Betty under him, over him, and all around him, but the couch excuse seemed reasonable enough.

They all said goodbye before Betty ever came out. Jughead left, pulling his phone out in the elevator to shoot her a quick goodbye text. 

 

**JJ:** Goodbye gorgeous :)

 

She didn’t respond until he reached the bottom floor, apparently out of the shower and he kicked himself for not waiting a few more minutes.

 

**BC:** I’ll see you soon handsome  <3

 

His lips curled into a smile as he read the message over again before pocketing it and sneaking a glance back up at the apartment where he knew she was, trying to ignore the fact that she had just gotten out of the shower and was likely complimenting him while still undressed and soaking wet.

 

He willed himself to put one foot in front of the other and created distance between himself and her stoop before he didn’t something stupid like run back upstairs and taster her once more.

\--

A few weeks had passed since Betty and Jughead had their first of many secret trysts. Now that the sexual tension between them had finally broken, Betty could only describe their connection as electric. If she was being honest with herself, the magnitude for her feelings for Jughead scared her sometimes. It had been awhile since a good thing had come her way and even though she knew it was silly, she was almost afraid to let herself enjoy what they were doing. She didn’t 100% know if she could refer to Jughead as her secret boyfriend or maybe more of a friend with benefits, she was still confused, they hadn’t actually discussed what they were yet. However, Betty considered herself ‘off the market’, even if Jughead didn’t, though she really hoped he did as well. 

 

They had seen each other at least three times a week, if not more, and they texted each other nonstop. Saying it was difficult keeping their relationship a secret from their best friends would be an understatement. They had to keep a good balance between when they spent time with Veronica and Archie, and when they would both make excuses and wait for them to leave until Betty and Jughead could sneak away and meet up with each other. If Veronica and Archie were going out on the east side of the city, they would go to the west side, if Veronica and Archie were going to go for a walk in Battery Park, Jughead would take Betty for dinner at a restaurant on Arthur Ave. They had gotten pretty good at tiptoeing around but there had definitely been some close calls. Of course, the secrecy made everything sexier and had somehow brought them close together, but Betty found herself wishing they were out in the open with everything more and more often. It would certainly make things easier for both of them. 

 

Not to mention, Jughead’s work schedule as a police officer was pretty hectic sometimes. There was a fair amount of changes between night shifts and days shifts and Betty was surprised that she could keep track some days. She still hadn’t found a permanent job but had continued to freelance for her friend from Columbia. Betty still felt a little rusty, but overall it felt good to stretch her fingers and have them fly across the keys of her laptop. The one positive of the freelance gig was that her schedule was more flexible when it came to seeing Jughead. 

 

Betty was currently sitting at her kitchen table, working on an article about the carbon impact tourists have on cities. It wasn’t the most glamorous assignment, but she had to admit that the topic was interesting, and she had gotten the chance to speak to a few different environmental specialists. She was trying to make a dent in the article before Veronica came home and tried to get her to go shopping or dragged her away to go get sushi. Betty loved her best friend dearly, but Veronica always had such a hard time sitting still and relaxing, she always had to be busy doing something. 

 

Before she could get another thought out, her cell phone rang. Betty cursed to herself before picking the phone up and looking at the screen. Polly’s name was flashing across it. Betty felt like a bucket of ice had been dropped in her stomach and she sighed heavily before answering the call. 

 

“Hey Pol,” Betty said, her voice sounding clipped. 

 

“Hey little sister,” Polly cooed back. 

 

Betty rolled her eyes, she always hated how Polly reminded her that she was the “little” sister out of the two of them. When they were in high school, all of the jocks would call her “Mini Cooper” and it honestly made her skin crawl. She never understood why people couldn’t just refer to her as Betty instead of indirectly reminding her that she always lived in Polly’s towering shadow. 

 

“What do I owe the pleasure of hearing from my one and only sister?” Betty asked with faux sweetness. 

 

“I was just calling to check on my favorite baby sister.” Polly replied. 

 

Betty rolled her eyes again, her sister had barely taken an interest in her since their mother’s funeral. Betty knew Polly was busy with her niece and Polly’s husband, but it would’ve been nice if her sister had checked on her over the last year because she genuinely wanted to. 

 

“I’m your only baby sister,” Betty said sarcastically. 

 

Polly tsked, “Not anymore.” 

 

Betty froze, “What are you talking about Polly?” 

 

“Dad didn’t tell you?” Polly asked, sounding surprised. 

 

“Tell me what?” Betty snapped. 

 

Betty heard Polly groan on the other end of the line and she heard Polly’s husband say something to her, but Betty couldn’t make it out. 

 

“Did Dad tell me what, Polly?” Betty tried again. 

 

“Listen Betty I shouldn’t be the one to have to tell you this, but Dad’s girlfri-” 

 

“You mean Dad’s midlife crisis.” Betty snapped again, cutting her sister off. 

 

Polly sighed, “She’s pregnant, Betty.” 

 

Betty’s eyes went wide as Polly’s news sunk in. Pregnant? How could her Dad get someone pregnant? Tears began to well-up in Betty’s eyes, her mother’s corpse was barely cold in the ground and her Dad was running around with some 10 cent trollop that was even younger than his youngest daughter. 

 

Betty squeezed her eyes shut, sending the tears that were threatening to spill plummeting down her cheeks as she sank her nails into her palms. She supposed this was her life now- just when she was starting to feel like she could breathe, something came around and knocked her down. 

 

“Betty? Betty are you there?” 

 

“Yeah I’m here, listen, Pol, I have to go. Kiss the baby for me.” Betty said, hanging up before giving her sister a chance to respond. 

 

Without even thinking about it, Betty immediately texted Jughead. 

 

**BC:** Hey...

 

**JJ:** Hey beautiful :) How are you? 

 

**BC:** Not good :( I want to see you, are you home alone? 

 

**JJ:** No Archie is here but I could probably think of an excuse to go for something. Want to go for a run? 

 

Betty smiled at her phone, “Going for a run” was their secret code for meeting in a nearby park that they had discovered two weeks ago. It was partially secluded and just enough out of the way of both of their apartments that they knew both Archie and Veronica would never think to come looking for either of them there.

 

**BC:** Sounds good :) Meet me in 20? 

 

**JJ:** You got it gorgeous, see you soon :-*

 

Betty closed her laptop and walked back to her room to change. She knew Veronica would be home any moment and if Betty used the excuse that she was running out for an errand, there was a strong possibility Veronica would insist on coming with her. Running was the one thing that Betty knew she could use as an excuse to ensure Veronica would not follow her. However, it didn’t give Betty many options as far as cute outfits went. Plus, she still wanted to wear semi-sexy underwear on the off chance that Jughead ended up taking her clothes off if they ended up somewhere that permitted it. She quickly decided on a pair of black leggings and a turquoise long sleeve top with her black Nike running sneakers. 

 

Just as Betty was filling up her running waist pack, Veronica waltz through the door. 

 

“Hey B!” Veronica chirped. “Going for another run?” 

 

“Yeah…” Betty began to say hesitating, “It helps clear my mind and I have a deadline coming up. I’ll see you later!” 

 

“Betty wait,” Veronica said, her tone serious enough to make Betty stop in her tracks and turn around. 

 

“What’s up?” Betty asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. 

 

“Is everything alright?” Veronica asked wearily, concern etched all over her face. 

 

Betty immediately felt a pang of guilt in her stomach, “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?” 

 

“I don’t know… I just feel like I barely see you anymore. You would tell me if something was up right? You know you can trust me?” 

 

Betty’s face softened, “Of course V,” she said while pulling Veronica in for a tight hug. “I promise I’m fine.” 

 

Veronica returned her hug, “Ok B, I believe you.” 

 

The girls stood like that for a moment longer, enjoying each other’s comforting embrace. 

 

Betty eventually pulled away, “Alright, I should head out.” 

 

“Wait before you go, Archie and I have been talking and-”

 

Betty immediately groaned, knowing full well that the next thing to come out of Veronica’s mouth was going to be about Jughead. Veronica glared at her rumblings. 

 

“-and he’s been thinking about trying to talk to Jughead about asking you out again. I promised I’d do the same.” 

 

Betty rolled her eyes, trying to emanate faux annoyance, “Ronnie why are you pushing this? Why can’t Jughead and I just be friends?” 

 

“You can!” Veronica exclaimed, “We just think you’d be just as happy - if not more - as more than friends!” 

 

Betty sighed again, grabbing her keys and headed for the front door. She wasn’t going to have this conversation with Veronica again. 

 

“Will you just think about it Betty?!” Veronica said as she reached the door. 

 

“Yes,” Betty stated, before slamming the door behind her. 

 

Betty shook her head and headed for the elevator, texting Jughead that she was going to be a few minutes late. She really did feel bad for lying to Veronica about her relationship with Jughead, but they had both agreed not to tell anyone. However, when Betty first suggested that, she hadn’t expected that they would honestly last that long or that she would have such intense feelings for him so soon. Betty regretted ever making the suggestion in the first place;  on a day like today, she wished her boyfriend (if she could even call him that) could just come over and comfort her in the safety of her room without the third degree. 

 

Betty quickly made her way to the park, deciding on the way there that she would ask Jughead when he wanted to go public. Deep down, she hoped it would be soon. 

 

\--

 

When Betty entered the park she slowed her pace for a moment, breathing in the fragrant air and taking in the green scenery that was a sharp contrast from the concrete jungle waiting just outside the park’s borders. It lifted her spirits and made her feel free, much like the beanie clad man that was waiting for her about ¼ mile into the park. She was so happy that she and Jughead had found this place and made it theirs. They even picked out a bench that they declared would always be their rendezvous point. That way, one of them could text the other, “Go for a run?” or “Want to meet at the park?” and they would always know exactly where to meet. 

 

As Betty got closer to the bench, she could see Jughead’s signature grey beanie come into view. Once again, she slowed, but this time to admire the man she couldn’t believe was so into her. It was funny, when she first met Jughead she had found him cocky and arrogant but now she just found him confident and pragmatic. She envied how strong he was and how sure he was of himself in the world. Over the last few weeks, this same attitude seemed to be rubbing off on her, like he was slowly trying to convince her that she could be her own light in the dark shadows of her life. 

 

Jughead was sitting on the bench with one arm draped along the back of it and his ankle crossed over his knee. His back was to her slightly and his leg was bouncing, a nervous tick she had noticed before. Betty smiled affectionately and quietly walked up behind him. 

 

“Jughead Jones,” she said slightly teasing. He turned around to face her, a breathtaking smile breaking across his beautiful face as he began to stand. “You are a sight for sore eyes,” she finished. 

 

Jughead immediately went to her and brought his calloused hands up to cup Betty’s cheeks. “Thanks for coming to meet me,” Betty managed to get out before Jughead connected his lips to hers. This kiss was not a wet one like the ones they had shared in the past, this kiss was soft and sensual and made Betty automatically feel light headed as she leaned into it. After a moment, that seemed to last an eternity, they pulled apart and Jughead let out a shaky breath as he pressed his forehead to hers. 

 

“I missed you,” Jughead whispered. 

 

Betty smiled, looking up at him through her lashes, “I missed you too.” 

 

As if he had sensed that something was wrong, Jughead wrapped his arms tightly around Betty. She pressed her face into his shoulder, seeking his warmth and comfort. He nuzzled her hair with his nose, breathing her in before giving her a soft kiss on the side of her forehead making an affectionate warmth spread through her chest like honey. 

 

“Everything ok Betts?” he asked. 

 

Betty just shook her head, the feelings of loss and abandonment from her father latest stunt stirring up in her chest, making it contract painfully. Jughead released her briefly only to drape his arm around her shoulder and lead her over to the bench he had been sitting on when she got there. Betty sighed as they sat down, leaning into his strong frame and tucking herself into his side. He kissed the side of her head again and for a brief moment, she wondered if things would always be this way. 

 

“You want to talk about it?” Jughead offered, breaking her from her notions of forever. 

 

Betty paused for a moment, did she want to talk about it? Did she really want to fill Jughead in on the dramatic soap opera that was her life as of late? Betty pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she mulled it over. They barely knew anything about each other, yes they had a connection and the sex was absolutely mind-blowing, but what if that was it? What if this was just a fling and Jughead didn’t really see a future with her? Did she really want to fill him in on every gory detail of her dishonorable past? 

 

Jughead reached over with his free hand and tilted her chin up to look at him. 

 

She felt her heart stutter a bit as she looked into his cerulean blue eyes, the rough feeling of his skin against hers reminded her of their love making and every inch of his naked body that was permanently burned into her memory. 

 

He smirked at her, cocking his head slightly, “Earth to Betty.” 

 

Betty’s eyes fluttered as she returned to the moment, smiling at him bashfully, “Yeah, sorry,” she said breathlessly. 

 

His finger was still under her chin as he pressed his lips to hers one more time for another sensual kiss. She decided right then and there that her entire life she had been running scared, scared of all the “what ifs” and the unpredictability of it all. She wanted to enjoy this moment with Jughead, and enjoy any other moments they might have together, no matter how long fate had planned for them, and that meant she wanted to tell him everything. 

 

“Did Archie ever tell you the whole story? The whole reason you were right about me when we met? Well the old me anyway…” 

 

Jughead furrowed his eyebrows, considering her question, “He told me some of it but I always assumed there was more to the story. I just figured you’d share the rest of it if you wanted to.” 

 

Betty nodded, “I want to.” 

 

Jughead gave her a soft smile, pulling her impossibly closer in an effort to comfort her, “Okay, I’m all ears Betts.” 

 

Betty took a deep steadying breath, steeling herself to tell her painful tale. She supposed she had been rehearsing this speech in her head since the day Jughead had apologized for his insulting comments. 

 

“About a year ago, I was a month away from graduating from college and it was literally all I could think about. I was always teased for it but I had my whole life mapped out before me for as long as I can remember. Get good grades, go to a good college, get good grades again, get an internship at a famous newspaper… and I was so close to achieving absolutely everything I had ever dreamed of...” Betty swallowed thickly, trailing off. This next part of the story was always the hardest for her, “It was 11:00 in the morning when my Mom was driving home from the grocery store and some low-life who was drunk ran a red light and hit her. She… she died on impact. One second she was on her way home to me and the next second,” Betty felt her throat tighten, tears beginning to steadily stream down her face. Jughead rubbed her arm, encouraging her to continue. “My mother was barely 6 feet in the ground when my Dad moved in with his 21-year-old girlfriend. It wasn’t until then that I realized all those goals I made for myself, that I tried  _ so _ hard to achieve, had never really been  _ my  _ goals. They were put into my head by my parents, by the unreachable expectations other people had set for me. Apparently, my parents thought that if they pushed me hard enough to be perfect, that I wouldn’t notice that their marriage was falling apart…. I woke up the morning after her funeral and I just didn’t know who I was anymore. I just felt empty, like something awful had come by and carved everything out of me. I sat on this couch for weeks, just staring at the wall running the last 23 years of my life through my mind,” she laughed to herself, “ and surprise, surprise I couldn’t come up with a single thing in my life that I had decided to do just for myself,” she finished bitterly. 

 

“Betty,” Jughead chided softly, “Your life was turned upside down, it’s normal to feel a little lost sometimes.” 

 

Betty looked down at the knotted fingers in her lap, she heard Jughead’s words and of course they made sense, she just didn’t honestly believe them. 

 

“My Dad’s girlfriend is pregnant,” Betty said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes again. 

 

She felt Jughead stiffen, “...and that’s a bad thing?”

 

“Not for them I guess,” Betty sniffed, “But it is for me. My sister Polly got married years ago and has her own family and now my Dad is making his own new family and I’m just-” Betty put her head in her hands as a sob escaped her throat. She felt Jughead’s arm wrap tighter around her, holding her close, she couldn’t believe the way she was falling apart. 

 

“You’re just what, Betts?” Jughead asked, his voice sounding a little strained. 

 

Betty looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. Jughead was watching her carefully, his brows knitted together and his mouth turned down at the corners. 

 

“Alone.” 

 

Betty put her head in her hands again, sobbing quietly. She didn’t want to make a full scene in the park where people were watching. 

 

“Aww Betts,” Jughead said pulling her against him so she could press her face into the crook of his neck. “You are not alone. You have Veronica and Archie and now you have me…”

 

Jughead’s voice trailed off at the end, almost as if he wasn’t sure if his words had validity. They say together like that for a few long moments and once again, Betty wished they could be doing this in the privacy of her bedroom, not here in this public park on this bench. She sat up and wiped her nose with the back of her hand before wiped her tear-stained cheeks. 

 

“Jughead… when are we going to tell Veronica and Archie about us?” Betty asked quietly. 

 

Jughead shifted uncomfortably and began to rub the back of his neck. 

 

“Soon,” he said sighing, “We’ll tell them soon.” 

 

Betty had a sinking feeling that his version of soon, wasn’t quite soon enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> So if you hadn't noticed already @bugggghead and I really enjoy working quotes from the TV show into our writing. What do you think? Is it working for us? Also, what did we think of this chapter? How do you feel about Betty and Jughead sneaking around- is it worth it? 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has left a kudo or a comment! We appreciate more than you know! 
> 
> As always, we hoped you enjoyed this chapter and we looked forward to reading your thoughts!


	7. I Need You (But I'm Saying Goodbye)

Jughead pulled her back to him, tucking her into his side as she nestled her tear-stained face into the crook of his neck. He trailed his fingers up and down her arm, hoping to soothe her by touch alone, afraid another word may do more damage than he was capable of fixing. 

They sat in silence for a few moments. His heart felt heavy, weighed down with her expectations and his own fears that maybe he couldn’t live up to those, to the sky high hopes she had for them - whatever they may be.

“You have me,” he murmured into her hair finally. “You’re not alone,” he echoed, resting his cheek against the top of her head and holding her close. He pressed his lips to her forehead, lingering in the moment as ‘ _ soon _ ’ echoed through his mind. 

Soon, yes, soon. 

Soon wasn’t exactly a definitive time - and he knew that - but he wasn’t sure what else to say. They originally agreed to keep it under wraps until they ‘figured out what  _ it  _ was’ - did that mean Betty had figured it out? Had he even figured it out yet? 

It had only been a few weeks of stolen kisses and secret trysts. A few weeks of long nights and early mornings; but everything in him screamed that he wanted her for  _ more _ , for as long as she would have him - no matter how ridiculous the idea actually was.

But that was him being selfish, shortsighted - not thinking of the consequences. Not thinking of  _ her. _

What truly scared Jughead about going public with their relationship was his deeply rooted notion that she  _ deserved  _ better than him, that she had enough problems of her own, he couldn’t weigh her down with his, too. 

And while their current arrangement was fun and light - if she really delved into the depths of his self-loathing - he worried she might not actually want whatever this  _ thing  _ between them was quickly becoming anymore. 

He had been playing a dangerous game with his heart, giving it the power over his more logical brain. But as Betty told him of her broken family and her sense of isolation, he wanted nothing more than to assure her that she wasn’t alone, that she didn’t have to be, ‘ever again’ flickered through his thoughts for the briefest of seconds, but mercifully stayed just there, detached from the already heavy sentiment.

  
  


Everyone Jughead had grown close to over his life had abandoned him. Other than the Andrews, everyone always wound up leaving him. First his mother, when he was a child, then his father and then Sabrina. He hadn’t ventured much outside of his closed-off comfort zone until he and Betty connected. She was everything Sabrina wasn’t. While they looked similar - both with blonde hair and light eyes - Betty had something  _ more _ , something special, something that he never did see in Sabrina. Unlike his previous girlfriend, Betty was kind, open, honest, and most importantly vulnerable, willing to open up in and let him see her in a way that no one else ever had.

 

He knew it was unfair to push her away for fear of her leaving. Even though everyone else always had, he had never met anyone quite like her. He meant it when he said soon, he did want to tell everyone, but he still needed to find a way to convince himself that he deserved the happiness that somehow found him serendipitously. 

 

_ ‘I like this, whatever it is. I think I like you too, but can you imagine what would happen if they found out what this was before we did?’  _ Betty’s words from a few weeks prior floated around in his head. Initially, the secrecy had been her idea and it deflated him at the time, causing worry and doubt to swirl around in his thoughts. Over the last few weeks, the only time the worry was quelled was in her presence.  _ Didn’t that mean something? _

 

They had become more familiar with one another over the short period of time and the comfort of her mere presence always had a calming effect on him. He wondered again if  _ she _ had finally figured ‘it’ out. 

 

Betty leaned her head on his shoulder and looped her arm through his, effectively pulling him from his thoughts and assuaging his mounting anxiety.

***

 

It was nearly midnight and Jughead and Archie had gotten a call a few minutes prior for a code 10-54SU. 10-54 meant an ambulance was needed, the added SU meant whoever they were responding to was in both serious condition and unconscious. Jughead knew based on the address they were given, it was likely gang-related and his own history of gang involvement made these calls some of the toughest he got. A sinking feeling settled deeper inside of him with every block they passed as Archie sped to the address in question.

 

The ambulance and fire truck were still on their way to the scene when their police cruiser pulled up. Jughead and Archie swiftly exited the vehicle and walked around the perimeter of the house where they were met with a heart wrenching scene. 

 

A woman with dark hair and light eyes - that were still opened - sat lifeless in a tattered recliner on the back porch. She was sprawled out with a needle still hanging from her arm and Jughead froze. 

 

He was barely six years old when his mother left but even at such a young age, he knew something had gone terribly wrong between his parents. It wasn’t until his father stumbled home drunk one night, late in Jughead’s teenage years, muttering about how ‘she left’ that Jughead finally got the whole story. 

 

_ FP was in an especially intoxicated state that night, apparently drunk from attempting to drown his sorrows in whatever bottle was thrust in front of him. _

 

_ He stumbled in and collapsed on the couch, repeating ‘she left’ while bringing his arm up to cover his eyes and Jughead came to sit next to him. _

 

_ “Dad, dad,” Jughead coaxed, trying to get his father to look at him, “hey, dad…. Sit up.” _

 

_ FP didn’t move so Jughead pulled him up to a sitting position. It was as if his father was stunned and Jughead was more confused than ever. _

 

_ “She left a long time ago dad.” _

 

_ FP shook his head, “I know,” he slurred, “but it still hurts.” _

 

_ Before he could say anything else the mixture of booze, that had been swirling in his father’s stomach came up and painted the floor in front of them. _

 

_ FP slid back down on the couch and muttered ‘sorry’. _

 

_ Jughead got up and retrieved the cleaning supplies. He scrubbed and cleaned the stain to the best of his ability and said ‘good night’ to his father through the snores. _

 

_ The next morning he confronted his dad about the scene the night before. FP told him the real reason Gladys left when Jughead was so young. His father had taken him to the bar for a meeting and when they returned home his mother was nowhere to be found. She left nothing more than a note saying simply, ‘I can’t do this anymore’. He never had heard from her, opting not to go searching. _

 

_ Gladys had been using throughout his entire childhood, FP admitted she stopped briefly when pregnant with Jughead but resumed full force shortly after his birth. He told Jughead about all of the nights he would receive calls about her presence at the bar, clearly drugged up and itching for her next fix. _

 

Staring at the lifeless body sprawled out in such disarray, alone, on the back porch of an abandoned house, littered with track marks, Jughead felt his head begin to spin.  _ His mom would have been about her age _ , he thought. The woman had the same dark hair and light eyes he remembered from his mother and Jughead suddenly couldn’t breathe.

 

Archie looked over at him with wide eyes, apparently sensing his partner’s sudden unease. “Jug,” he tested, “talk to me, Jug… What’s going on?”

 

“I-I-I need to go…” Jughead muttered, turning on his heel and heading back to the cruiser. 

 

He could hear the sirens from the other responders coming closer and by the time he made it to the car, they were already jumping out of their vehicles. Jughead signaled them to the back of the house and rested a hand on the top of the car. His other hand gripped his chest and he was gulping in air, attempting to catch his breath. He had never really known what having a mother was like until he met Mary Andrews and even then, he longed to know the one that walked out on him. 

 

Seeing that woman, complete with dark hair and blue eyes pried wide open had cut him to the core. She looked just like his mother. He knew it wasn’t her, a few features here and there just different enough to solidify his reasoning, but it didn’t stop the barrage of thoughts going through his mind. He had never heard from her after she left. He knew she was a junkie, he knew she used incessantly and her addiction always took precedence over her family. Drugs were her priority and her family never stood a chance. He hadn’t truly allowed himself to think about her for a while and the startling scene on the porch brought his feelings of loss and abandonment back with a physical force.

 

He sat in the cruiser, waiting for Archie to return. The silence inside the cab was deafening until Archie pulled open his door.

 

“Hey, Jug,” Archie said, kneeling down to come eye level with his best friend. “Are you okay?”

 

“No,” Jughead said simply, “No, Arch, I’m not. I think I need to take the rest of the night off. Could you drop me off at the apartment?”

 

“Yeah, of course.”

 

The car ride was silent, they didn’t have far to drive. Archie pulled up to the apartment building and Jughead knew immediately that he wanted to be somewhere else. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it,” Archie asked tentatively.

 

“Not tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Jughead stood on the sidewalk, watching Archie drive away. As soon as the car was out of sight, he pulled out his phone and shot Betty a simple text asking if he could come over. She replied within seconds saying she was alone and he was welcome to join her. 

 

As soon as the cab pulled up to her building he tossed some money in the front seat and got out, taking the steps two at a time and hoping the feeling of Betty’s soothing presence could break him out of his trance. He didn’t even have to knock, she flung the door open as soon as he approached it and without saying a word he cupped her jaw and drew her forward to meet his lips.

 

The feeling of her arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him close began to ease his previous anxiety. He crushed her frame into his body and backed her up through the apartment, pausing to kick the doors shut as they went. 

 

They fell into her bed, his body framing hers on the soft surface, their tongues tangling and hands roaming every inch of each other’s bodies. Jughead wasn’t ready to talk, he wasn’t even sure what he would tell her, but the way their bodies were responding to each other said everything he couldn’t in that instant. Each push from him earned a pull from her and they were both bare beneath the sheets before either said a word.

 

“Are you okay, Juggie?” she breathed between kisses.

 

“I am now,” he said, sealing his mouth to hers once more.

 

He ground his arousal into her and she lifted her hips in response. He needed to feel her, to ground himself to her, or her risked falling into the spiral of negative thoughts he wanted so desperately to avoid.

 

“I need you,” he whispered before sinking into her.

 

She gasped into his mouth a the contact and kissed his lips firmly. 

 

“I’m right here.”

 

While they had been getting closer and closer each time they did this, it felt different somehow. The way her body melded around his, her legs wrapped around his hips and her lips connected to his own only intensified his need for him.

 

She must have sensed the difference, the depth of their tryst so different from the times before. Betty gripped his shoulders and flipped him onto his back, sinking back onto him in one fluid motion.

 

“Sit up,” she instructed.

 

He quickly obliged, leaning against the headboard and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. They were nearly eye to eye and she locked onto his gaze, slowly dragging herself up and down while her fingers gripped his shoulders.

 

He leaned forward, his chest flush against hers and he gripped her hips, grinding her onto his lap and hitting a spot that caused her eyes to roll back and her head to fall limp. 

 

They hadn’t done it like this before, the lack of even a single inch between them and their skin creating a delicious friction neither were immune to. It felt startlingly intimate and Jughead clung to the idea that she was there, she was right there, and as long as she grounded him in that moment, he wouldn’t let himself slip away.

 

She moved up and down slowly, grinding on him with each connection and their groans intermingled creating a sultry soundtrack. His fingers sunk deep into the skin on her hip, surely bruising, as he shoved into her one last time, both of them falling apart without any space to be found between their bodies. As soon as she released, she buried her head into the crook of his neck and his arms encircled her tiny, shaky frame.

 

“Stay with me tonight,” she whispered after their breaths began to even out.

 

“Okay,” he said simply, tightening his grip around her waist and trying to pull her closer than physically possible.

 

She never asked what was wrong, instead reaching for him multiple times throughout the night, but he knew she wanted to. The look of concern in her eyes was evident each time and he was grateful she didn’t pry, instead opting to show him her support through simple physicality.

 

Each time when they finished, he would wade through his own dark thoughts.  _ She didn’t need his baggage. She didn’t need his burdens.  _ She had more than enough of her own and he knew she was strong enough for that, but he didn’t want to load her up with his shit too. She was too good, too pure, too kind to deserve his twisted thoughts. 

 

His mother left him, Sabrina left him, he was afraid if he gave her the power to destroy him, eventually she would too. Everyone left in the end, even his father, and he couldn’t let himself hope she would be any different; the idea of his hopes being crushed were simply too much to bear. Even if they could make it work in the short term, inevitably he would fuck it up, he always did. 

 

The negativity was seeping into his brain, rooting deeper than before as she reached for him again, her touch distracting him as he clung to her for dear life, afraid it would all come crashing down around him before he knew it, just like his life always seemed to.

 

***

 

It was nearly four am and they were wrapped up in each other, bodies still buzzing from their eventful night. Betty was tracing a finger up and down his chest as he squeezed her side and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. 

 

“That was different,” she whispered, too embarrassed to look up at him but wanting to know more.

 

“Yeah,” he breathed after a prolonged moment, “yeah, it was.”

 

She waited anxiously for him to say something - anything else - but was met with a deafening silence. Betty knew something was wrong with Jughead the second he kissed her when he got to her apartment, but he didn’t talk about it. She had been fighting the urge to press the issue further all night, but had been pleasantly distracted by all the physical activity they had participated in. Not that she minded but she couldn’t help but wonder if that was the point and that Jughead was using her as a distraction. 

 

“I know I keep bringing this up, but are you ok?” Betty asked quietly. 

 

Jughead sighed and untangled himself from her, “Yes, Betty. I’m fine. I really don’t want to talk about it. Why can’t you just let this go?” 

 

Betty pulled her duvet up to cover her chest as she sat up, “because I know you’re lying to me.” 

 

Jughead sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He sighed and shook his head. 

 

“It’s none of your concern. I mean, who are we kidding? You don’t know anything about me.” 

 

A combination of anger and hurt swirled in her chest. She knew Jughead was obviously going through something, that much had been perfectly clear whether he wanted to admit to it or not. But she wasn’t about to put up with him shutting her out, not after tonight, she had done enough of that when they met. It wasn’t worth it to her to be doing all the sneaking around and lying to her best friend for someone who was always going to keep her at arm’s length. She knew she was the one wary of putting a label on anything and coming out to their friends with their relationship but now she was tired of waiting for an answer. 

 

“You’re right. I don’t, but I want to. If we’re doing this,  I want to know you Jug, all of you. If we’re not then what are we, Juggie?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer. “It’s been a few days since I asked you if we could tell everyone and I’m more confused now than I was before. You come to my apartment, make love to me and refuse to talk about whatever is going on….” 

 

“Betty,” Jughead said, his voice low and cautious, “I don’t want to discuss this with you. I don’t owe you any explanation. Hell, we were barely even friends before all of this. So don’t act all concerned, because it’s not your burden to carry.” 

 

Betty recoiled as his words cut her sensitive flesh like a sharp knife. 

 

“You don’t mean that Jug, you’re hurting, I can see that. Let me… let me be there for you, whatever it is.” 

 

Jughead sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Betty I come with an insurmountable amount of baggage and now that I’ve had time to think about it- you don’t need me in your life. This has been great, these last few weeks have been a lot of fun but something happened tonight and it nearly broke me. You don’t need to be around my mess of a life when it all comes crashing down on nights like these. In fact, you’re better off without me altogether.”

 

Betty’s mind was whirling as she was processing everything that Jughead was saying. How did they go from him telling her he wasn’t going anywhere in the park to now where he was basically telling her it was over… that he was saying goodbye. 

 

“What?” she said, suddenly nervous, “You treat me like I’m fragile… Like I’m going to break at any second, but I promise you, I’m stronger than you think. I’m not breakable Juggie and I’m here for you. I’m right here, right now, asking you to share your burden with me.” Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she begged him to open up. She wanted nothing more than to understand what he was going through.

 

“I know you’re not breakable, Betts, but I don’t want to be the one to add any more stress on your life. You deserve someone who isn’t bogged down with ten tons of shit from their past. You deserve a good man, and I’m not sure that’s me right now. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever been good enough for someone like you.”

 

Betty squeezed her eyes shut as tears spilled down her cheeks. How could he be doing this to them? 

 

“That’s my decision to make Jug,” she said firmly. 

 

“No, actually Betty,” he said with sudden resolve, “it’s my decision and I just made it. I should’ve never apologized and just stayed away from you. It would’ve saved us from this mess that we’ve made.” 

 

She didn’t know what to do or how to convince him to stay with her, to just hold on for a little while longer while she helped him navigate his turbulent seas. She watched helplessly as Jughead got up and began to dress himself, her mind still running wild as she tried to figure out what she could do-if anything at all. 

 

As Jughead pulled the laces tight on his combat boots and headed for the door, Betty’s heart began to break, was this it? 

 

“How long?” she demanded, “How long are we going to keep doing this to each other Jug? Saying hurtful things and pushing each other away like nothing ever happened between us?” 

 

Jughead shook his head, “Until it sticks.” 

 

And with that he was gone, leaving Betty alone in her bed. 

 

Quickly she got out of her bed and put her clothes back on. Once she pulled her shirt over her head, she realized that she was panting and couldn’t catch her breath. Jughead was supposed to be her new start, her turn of fate, her luck beginning to change but now he seemed to be just another reminder that life was heartbreaking and full of disappointments. 

 

She looked at the clock. It was just after 5 in the morning. There was no way she could go back to bed but it was too early for her to get up. Deciding on the former, she threw back the covers and laid down before curling into the fetal position with sobs still quietly wracking her body. She attempted to take a deep, steadying breath but instead of it calming her, it only made her heart hurt more when his scent surrounded her. 

 

Betty got up out of her bed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands and glaring at her mattress like it betrayed her. 

 

_ Is this it? Is this as hard as gets?  _ She wondered miserably. 

 

At this point, Betty’s sorrow had transformed into full-blown rage because she was so sick and tired of being sick and tired. No matter how hard she tried to better herself, life always liked to come along and slap her down just as she started to feel happy again. Like it was a sick game to play and she was just a pawn to be manipulated. 

 

Betty gripped her duvet and threw it on to the floor and surprisingly, the silly act alone made her feel a little bit better. She paused for a moment, breathing hard before gripping her sheets next and ripping them off her bed with all of her might, letting out a scream as she did. Last were her pillows, she picked up each one and threw it at her bedroom door screaming cathartically. She didn’t care if Veronica was home or if anyone heard her, she was exhausted from keeping it all bottled up inside. 

 

Ever since she got the news that her mother died, Betty hadn’t really let herself cry more than a few tears at a time. She was in shock and then she had been so busy getting through the funeral and begging the Dean at Columbia to let her graduate on time that she never allowed herself time to grieve. People, including Veronica just assumed that she had let herself feel her agonizing grief in private but they were all wrong. Even in her mother’s passing, Betty had maintained the facade of perfection and never showed anyone, not even herself the depth of her desolation. 

 

Not anymore. She was over everyone’s ridiculous expectations and she was especially over people’s insistent notions that they could make decisions for her. 

 

Betty picked up a glass vase, it was her mother’s favorite to put flowers in and one of the only items she brought from home and hurled it at her bedroom wall. She then backed up until her back hit the wall and she slid down to the floor, putting her head in her hands and letting herself really sob. 

 

Her bedroom door burst open, “Jesus Betty! What the hell is going on in here?!” Veronica said. 

 

Betty didn’t even bother to look up and before she knew it, she felt Veronica’s delicate arms enveloped her in a tight hug, pulling Betty towards her. Betty wrapped her arms around her friend, letting herself continue to cry. 

 

“Betty what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Veronica said, worry etched in her voice. 

 

Betty shook her head, even though she was hurting it wasn’t in the way Veronica was implying. 

 

“I just miss her so much Ronnie,” Betty wailed. 

 

Veronica froze for a moment before saying, “Your Mom?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Aww sweetheart, I am so so sorry,” Veronica said soothingly and tightened her grip. 

 

Veronica began to rock her back and forth, whispering to her ‘ _ I promise you it’s going to be okay  _ and  _ that’s it, let it all out. You’re safe’.  _

 

After what felt like forever, Betty started to calm down, her anguished sobbing slowing turning into sniffles and hiccups. It was only then that Betty realized Archie was standing in the doorway watching the two of them. She thought it looked like he had been crying but couldn’t tell for sure. Betty leaned away from Veronica and wiped her face with her hands and sighed heavily. 

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare the two of you,” Betty said, her throat tender from her emotional breakdown. “I guess I just needed to let myself feel it for once, you know?” 

 

Both Veronica and Archie nodded. “Of course B and don’t apologize. We heard the commotion and I was worried about you.”

 

Archie walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “It took me weeks to cry after my Dad got shot, to really let myself feel what the trauma of watching him get shot did to me. There’s no shame in it Betty… life gets a little hard for all of us sometimes.” 

 

Betty crossed her legs, laced her fingers with Veronica’s and leaned her head on her best friend’s shoulder. 

 

“Thanks Arch,” Betty said. 

 

Archie gave her one of his genuine, all-American boy smiles, “Of course Betty. Anytime.” 

 

Veronica gave her hand a gentle squeeze, “Betty… I know you were thinking about grief group counseling…. I’d be happy to go with you.” 

 

“Yeah, I can come too,” Archie offered. 

 

“I’d really like that… there’s actually a morning group session at the church on 85th street later this morning. I was thinking about going,” Betty confessed. 

 

“Great!” Veronica chirped, “We can grab some breakfast beforehand and head on over.” 

 

Archie checked his watch, “It’s about 6am now, we could get ready and just go?” 

 

Betty nodded as Veronica helped her off the ground. For the first time since her break down started, Betty looked around her room to take in the sight of the chaos she had created. 

 

“Geez, I really made a mess didn’t I?” Betty mused. 

 

Veronica shrugged, “You go get in the shower, Archie and I will take care of it.” 

 

\--- 

 

Later that evening, Betty sat in the window seat in the living room watching the sun starting to set. In truth, Betty envied the sun a little, it got a fresh start each time it traveled across the sky and began its descent, painting the sky with beautiful hues of fuchsia and tangerine, reminding everyone that if they really wanted, they could have fresh starts each day too. If they just believed.

 

Betty was clutching a crumpled piece of paper in her fist that was a take away at the grief group counseling session. The words written on it were powerful and she read it over and over again, each syllable giving her strength as she read and reread it. 

 

She heard Veronica and Archie enter the room and she looked over her shoulder. 

 

“Hey B, we’re heading out to go meet Jughead. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Veronica asked. 

 

Betty shook her head. “No thanks, I’m good. But um… could you not say anything to Jughead about today?” she asked, worrying her lower lip as soon she said it. 

 

After she had some time to reflect on what had transpired between them, Betty realized that she had put too much pressure on the idea of their relationship working out so soon. She wanted him in a way she had never wanted anyone before but it was him keeping her at arm's length and she wasn’t sure where to go from there. She had opened up, now the ball was in his court, and until he finally decided to do something about it, she was nowhere near ready to see him. 

 

“Of course Betty, our lips are sealed. We’ll just tell Jughead that you were too tired to come out. He’ll understand,” Archie promised. 

 

Betty smiled, “Thanks,” 

 

Veronica came over and placed a kiss on top of her head, “We’ll be home later.” 

 

Betty waved to her friends and returned her gaze to watch the sunset. One more time, she released her fist and straightened out the piece of paper to read it again: 

 

_ “What I’ve learned is that you cannot escape _

_ your grief. You can try to drown it in _

_ distractions, kill it with your vices, or pretend _

_ like it isn’t even there, eventually,  _

_ it will spring back out of its secret hiding place and  _

_ demand you stand and face it.” _

_ The Monster of Grief _

_ ~Beau Taplin _

 

Today, after everything that happened, Betty did believe in fresh starts and second chances. When she woke up tomorrow morning, she would stand and face her grief. She would be like the sun, rising from the darkness, beautiful and bright, wearing her emotional battle scars like protective armor for the world to see. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> So we know everyone was like "wth Jughead?!" at the end of the last chapter, so we are hoping that we answered your questions with Jughead's part of this chapter. We know that this chapter was intense and full of angst but we promise to make it up to you in the last chapter :) 
> 
> As always, we hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! We look forward to reading your thoughts and comments :)
> 
> Stay tuned!!


	8. Sweet Serendipity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what it's like to be you, I don't know what it's like but I'm dying to  
> If I could put myself in your shoes, Then I know what it's like to be you  
> so tell me what's inside of your head, No matter what you say I won't love you less  
> ~Shawn Mendes, "Like to Be You" 
> 
>  
> 
> Warning: SMUT in this chapter.

Jughead had been in bed for nearly twelve hours by the time his phone chimed with a reminder of his plans that night. As soon as he got to the apartment earlier that morning, after leaving Betty’s, he flopped down on his bed and hadn’t moved an inch since. His stomach loudly grumbled and Jughead couldn’t seem to remember the last time he had gone this long without eating. Truthfully, regardless of the way his stomach was growling, for once in his life he wasn’t hungry. 

The entire exchange between him and Betty had been playing on loop in Jughead’s head all night. All he could think about was how Betty so willingly opened herself up to him, asked him to share his burden and told him about her own. 

 

It was unfair that he couldn’t bring himself to do the same and he regretted it. 

 

At the time he told himself it was for her own good and he didn’t want to hurt her, but now he could admit - even if just to himself - it was also about her potential to utterly devastate him, to take his heart and crush it, like others had already. But even if he hadn’t meant to, he had already let her in and there was no going back, not anymore. 

 

He knew he’d be a damn fool to let an angel like Betty Cooper walk out of his life when she wanted in so badly. He had a track record of cutting people off before they got too close but somehow, over the short time he had known Betty, she eased her way in without him even realizing it. Somewhere between her tearful confessions about her past and their playful banter, he had slipped and fallen right in love with her. 

 

His bladder was screaming at him to get out of bed and his phone was chiming again, reminding him that he needed to be at the bar and presentable in less than an hour. All the while, Jughead began to formulate a plan. 

 

It seemed foolish, to think he could just show up to the bar and everything would be okay. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy. He had stuffed his entire foot in his mouth and walked out on her, right after she confided in him about her abandonment issues. Jughead felt like the biggest asshole on the planet as he rose from the bed and trudged to the bathroom. He needed to clean up, to peel back the layers of filthy self loathing that had coated him under the blankets if he was going to go out and see her. 

 

She was supposed to be there, at the bar, it was on all of their calendars and he needed to find some time to talk to her - alone. Going to the bar and being in her presence was at least a start. It would be hard to pull her away while their friends were there but even if they couldn’t do it in secret, he knew it needed to happen. Even if Archie and Veronica found out, as long as Betty forgave him in the end, he didn’t care where, when, or how he apologized. 

 

Being reliant on someone was something he avoided most of his life but somewhere along the way, she tiptoed right into his heart and claimed a portion of it. One day she may even have all of it - if he’d let her. He  _ had  _ to apologize, he  _ had  _ to see her, but first, he needed to clean up. 

-

He had been rehearsing his apology in his head since jumping in the shower. Now, as he approached the bar, he took a deep breath and ran through it one last time. Starting with, “ _ I was an idiot, Betty… _ ”

 

Jughead walked in the bar tentatively, scanning the crowd for the tell-tale blonde ponytail he so desperately wanted to see. Instead, he saw a mess of red hair and the slick black locks of his best friend’s girlfriend. He paused, eyeing the crowd once more for Betty before coming up empty and wandering over to Archie and Veronica. 

 

“Hey, Jug,” Archie greeted almost solemnly. It was strange, for his typically upbeat best friend to be in such a sullen mood.

 

“Uh, hi Arch. Hello Veronica, where’s Betty?” He knew he had absolutely zero right to ask them but he also knew they didn’t know why and even though it wasn’t right, he wanted to use it to his advantage. 

 

“She was too tired to come out tonight,” Veronica said automatically. It wasn’t like Betty to miss one of their gatherings because she was too tired; but he supposed it wasn’t inconceivable that she was exhausted after their fight. 

 

“Too tired to come out or too tired to put up with me,” he laughed, the typically cheery sound coming off more hollow than he intended it to.

 

“What?” Veronica asked, clearly perplexed.

 

“Uh, nothing. You know what, I’m pretty tired too. I think I’ll just go back home.” Jughead knew he was the reason she wasn’t there and he hated himself for it. No one should ever hurt Betty Cooper, especially not him. He never wanted to make her feel like she was anything less than perfect in his eyes ever again and he knew he  _ needed  _ to see her, and he needed to see her  _ now _ .

 

“What? You just got here, have a beer first, or some nachos. You never turn down nachos!” Archie joked, his best friend’s demeanor clearly piquing his interest.

 

“Nah, thanks though Arch. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jughead turned around and exited the bar, leaving both Archie and Veronica confused in the booth he hadn’t even sat down in. He didn’t really care what they thought at the moment, figuring it would all come out in the wash soon enough anyway, one way or another.

 

-

 

Betty’s apartment was pretty far from the bar so he hailed a cab, deciding the time it would take to walk was simply too long. He needed her, more than he realized and he didn’t want to wait another second to tell her.It didn’t make sense, it wasn’t clean, it was, in fact quite messy; but he needed her - again.

 

A short while later, he stood in front of her door, arm raised and fist clenched in preparation to knock. He rehearsed his speech one last time on the way over and knew the lines better than he knew his own thoughts at that moment. 

 

At the last second, he tugged off his beanie. He needed to be open with her and somehow, he couldn’t seem to do that while still wearing his oldest form of armor. With every ounce of courage he had, he slowly rapped on the door, anxiously awaiting her response. 

 

He knocked four different times, each with increasing force before he finally heard the lock turn.

 

The door opened a sliver, revealing a small slice of her beautiful face as she spoke.

 

“What do you want Jughead?” 

 

“I want to apologize, Betty,” he said sincerely, leaning against the door frame and wringing the woolen cap in his hands.

 

“I dont think it’s a good idea for you to be here.”

 

“Really Betty?”

 

“What, Jughead? You think you can just leave one day and show up the next and I’ll just let you in? I can’t do that to myself. You said until it sticks and it looks like it’s sticking.” Her words were sure but her tone was anything but certain.

 

“Please, Betty, just give me five minutes. If you don’t like what I have to say then I will leave and you never have to see me again.”

 

She paused for a long moment. All he could think about was the very real possibility of her slamming the door in his face. He knew he deserved it and he wouldn’t even blame her if she did, but staring at her through the crack in the door, all he could think about was how willing he was to wait right there until she was ready to hear what he had to say. 

 

If she shut the door tonight, he’d be there tomorrow. If it took a few days, that would be fine too. He was so close. He could reach out and touch her if she would let him and he didn’t want anymore space between them than they already had. She felt a million miles away in that instant and it broke his heart.

 

“Betty, please,” he said softly one last time.

 

The door inched open as Betty’s full face came into view, he was struck by how distraught she looked. Her eyes were slightly puffy, her hair down in wild waves, there was a crease pressed into her cheek as if she had been laying down for far too long and his heart ached at the sight. She still looked beautiful, more beautiful than anyone he had ever met, even in that moment, but the apprehension he saw shading her eyes nearly broke him.

 

Finally, she stepped back from the door, pulling it open without a word, a silent invitation to join her in the privacy of the apartment. As he stepped over the threshold, he took a deep breath, inhaling every ounce of abstract courage he could in preparation for his speech. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, still standing in the middle of the entryway, the words spilled from his lips just as practiced, as if reciting lines from a play.

 

“I was an idiot, Betty. I shouldn’t have left this morning. I know you’re not fragile, that’s one of the things I love about you. You’re stronger than even  _ you  _ give yourself credit for. I don’t know how destiny works but I can’t help but feel you’re my fate. I’ve never met anyone like you before Elizabeth Cooper and I don’t think I ever will again. I’m sorry I didn’t open up to you when you asked. I will. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I’m yours, but after I tell you about myself, I hope you’ll still want me, because I’m not sure I’ll ever stop wanting you.” 

 

She didn’t say a word, instead standing rooted to her spot a mere foot away. He was close enough to watch the way her eyes widened and her features fell as he spoke, close enough to see the way one side of her lip quirked up in what seemed to be the start of a soft smile. But when she didn’t move, he felt all of his previous feigned courage seep out of his pores. He felt deflated. He had just confessed that he wanted her and she hadn’t moved an inch. 

 

Jughead stepped forward, closing the distance between them and noticed the small pools of tears gathering at her ducts, threatening to spill at any second. He reached for her hands, bringing them up to his lips for a soft kiss. 

 

Betty exhaled forcefully, as if she had been holding her breath through his entire speech and he felt bare, laid open, hers for the taking. A sense of relief washed over him as she untangled their hands, bringing one up to cup his cheek. She was still silent and he needed her to say  _ something _ , anything because if she didn't speak up, he was likely to fall apart.

 

“Okay,” she whispered after a long moment, her eyes darting down to his lips.

 

“Okay?” he asked, a hopeful lilt threaded through the word. 

 

She nodded and he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. It felt warm and comforting, nothing more needed to truly feel the depth of what the gesture held.

 

She leaned back, lacing their fingers together before resting his forehead on hers as he spoke again, “Betty, I have this darkness inside of me. It comes from my past and everyone I’ve ever known has left me. I was scared, I was so scared that I would say or do something to drive you away, and I don't know if I could-”

 

“Jug,” she cut him off, speaking softly and bringing her hands up to cup his face, connecting their eyes. “I have my own darkness too. You won’t scare me off. That thing you said about fate, I feel it. Call it serendipity or call it stupid. I just know I feel different with you, like I’ve never felt before and I’m sorry for pushing you last night. I didn’t mean-”

 

“Betty, no no no. You didn’t push me. I pushed you away.  _ I _ didn’t mean-”

 

Betty smiled up at him, pressing a finger against his lips to silence him. “Shh, it’s okay. We’ll just agree we both could have handled it better and promise each other we’ll do better next time- deal?” Her lips tugged up into a soft smile that he couldn’t help but return.

 

“Deal.”

 

***

 

When Betty imagined how her night was going to go after Archie and Veronica left, she had seen a hot shower, some chamomile tea and a book off her list of “things I’ve been meaning to read”. There were a few variations of that plan- maybe she’d skip the hot shower and drink a glass of wine and watch a movie or maybe she’d just take the shower and go straight to bed. She had been in the middle of deciding on hot shower or no shower when there was a knock on her door. 

 

Now her evening was going in a way that she never expected. She had decided earlier that day that until he was ready to apologize, she wasn't ready to see him. Of course, part of her hoped that he would come to his senses, but she never imagined that he would come to them so soon. 

 

Now, Jughead was standing in her living room, apologizing for being a complete dick the night before, and she’d already forgiven him. Just like that.

She was nowhere near okay with how he had handled things, how he handled  _ whatever _ had been bothering him, but before he had even knocked on her door that night, she already knew that she would give him a second chance. She knew it the minute he walked out that morning, and something told her that she needed to. After all, he had given her one not too long ago. 

 

Briefly, the memory of their ‘second chance lunch date’ flitted through her mind, bringing a smile to her face. 

 

“What are you thinking about?” Jughead asked. 

 

“Our lunch date after the court hearing for my ticket,” she replied, blushing profusely. 

 

Jughead tilted his head a little, but before Betty could worry that he had somehow forgotten their silly yet magical moment, a smile broke across his face. It made her smile even bigger. 

 

“Are you suggesting another do-over?” he asked. 

 

Betty shook her head. “No, I don’t think we could do that now,” she said solemnly. 

 

Jughead gently cupped her face with his hands. “No, baby, I don’t think we could either.” 

 

She leaned into his touch. “That was the day I realized you were my gift from the universe, a sign that my life and the way things had been going were about to change.” 

 

Jughead’s face softened and he swallowed hard, his adam’s apple bobbing visibly in his throat. 

 

“Do you still feel that way?” he asked, his voice gravelly and low. 

 

Betty leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. She wanted to comfort him more quickly than her words ever could. How could she not still feel that way? Sure, nothing about them had been easy from the start, but Jughead was the first person to make her feel alive, like she wasn’t hopeless and lost for the first time since her mom died. They had both made mistakes, but if there was anything she’d learned from watching her own parents ‘perfect’ marriage fall apart it was that love, the true kind anyway, wasn’t perfect. 

 

Perfect love only existed in movies and fairytales and if one thing was certain- it’s that it shouldn’t come easily. Yes, falling in love  _ IS _ easy but staying in love? That was the difficult part. Loving someone was about overcoming obstacles, forgiving each other’s mistakes and fighting to stay together because out of everyone else on the entire planet, they’re the only one you could never live without. 

 

She didn’t know yet if she was in love with Jughead, she herself had never been in love before so she had nothing else to compare it to. But if she wanted to find out - and she did - she was going to have to start with forgiveness and the opportunity to move forward and to do better next time, together. 

 

Jughead moved his hands up Betty’s face to the back of her head, sliding his fingers into her hair as he deepened the kiss. Betty felt herself melt against him as soon as his tongue swiped her lower lip, waiting to be granted access. They kissed languidly for a few slow moments, like they were moving back to who they used to be every time their lips touched. 

 

Betty was the first to pull away, she needed to catch her breath, her body felt like it was overheating already. She pressed her forehead to his, tightening her grip on his shirt like she was afraid he could disappear at any moment. 

 

“Of course I still feel that way,” she whispered breathlessly. 

 

Jughead smiled and then chuckled softly, like he couldn’t believe what she was saying and then covered her mouth with his again. This time however, the kiss was not sweet and slow, it was vehement and full of unbridled passion. It had barely been 12 hours since they’d seen each other last but they kissed like they were making up for way more time than they had lost. 

 

Out of nowhere, Jughead pulled away and then wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up. Betty let out a shrill squeal and then burst into giggles as he walked her back to her bedroom. She grabbed his face again, threading her fingers through his silky black hair and slipped her tongue into his mouth, curling it around his, eliciting a  groan from low in his throat. They made it into the hallway before unceremoniously bumping into things, making the two of them laugh. 

 

“Careful. Archie & V will really know we’re together if we leave a trail of things for them to find,” Betty said, her voice sultry and low as they entered her bedroom. 

 

Jughead laughed before abruptly dropping her on her mattress, causing her to bounce a few times on the bed. 

 

Jughead pulled his shirt over his head and threw it into the hallway before grabbing the waistband of her pajama shorts and yanking them off. He winked at her before rolling her clothes into a ball and pitching them to join his shirt on the floor just outside her bedroom door. 

 

“I don’t care what or when they find out,” he walked over and shut her bedroom door, locking it before turning around. “I just want you.” 

 

Betty knew it wasn’t ideal for Veronica & Archie to find out that way, with their clothes all over the floor, an implied circumstance that didn’t carry the full weight of what she wanted them to be. She was hoping they could all sit down at some point tomorrow and they would just tell their best friends they were together but she would worry about that later. Right now, all she wanted to worry about was feeling Jughead’s bare skin on hers. 

 

Jughead walked back over to her on the bed and she quickly sat up to meet him, pulling her sweatshirt over her head as she did. Quickly, she unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants down along with his boxers, momentarily forgetting how to breath as his erection sprang free. Betty inched back on the bed, reaching for Jughead’s hand as she did and tugged him down on top of her. 

 

Putting the majority of his weight on his elbows, Jughead began leaving wet, sloppy kisses on her neck as he fondled her breast. Betty ran her arms lightly up and down Jughead’s back as her body shivered from the pleasure that was traveling through her spine. She could feel his erection pressed against her thigh and it made the blood boil in her veins. Jughead moved his attention back to her mouth as she ran her hands all over him, like her fingers were desperate to memorize all the intricacies of his body. Her hands finally rested on his chest and when they did, he pulled back from her for a moment. She smiled up at him until she realized that his face did not mirror her own and he actually looked a bit worried or apprehensive. 

 

“Hey,” she said softly, bringing her hands up to his face. “What is it? What’s wrong?” 

 

“Betty...I know a lot has been said and done in the last 24 hours and I want you to know that we don’t have to do anything tonight. We can just cuddle and talk,” Jughead said, his eyes searching her own. 

 

Betty suddenly felt embarrassed, she guessed they got caught up in the heat of the moment like they always did and glossed over the gravity of last night’s events. 

 

“I want to do this Jug, I want to be with you like  _ this _ but we don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to either,” she said, trying to reassure him. 

 

Jughead sighed, rolling off her and then wrapping her up his arms. She wrapped an arm around his lower abdomen, pulling herself closer. 

 

“I just… I just want you to know how sorry I am Betty. Last night was so screwed up I-” 

 

Betty cut him off with a kiss, pressing her lips his in a simple act of support. She pulled back slowly, close enough that she could see feel his breath fanning across her lips, but far enough to whisper, “You don’t have to tell me everything tonight, Jug. I think it’s safe to say we have time.”

 

“I want to, Betty,” he said as he shifted on his side so they were facing each other. 

 

“Okay,” Betty said softly, rubbing her hand up and down his arm in an effort to comfort him for what he was about to say next. They were both still stark naked but neither of them seemed to remember, or even care for that matter. 

 

Jughead took a deep, steadying breath. “Last night, when I was on patrol with Archie, we got a call. There was a woman about my mom’s age who overdosed on a porch. She was all alone and limp and laying in this tattered chair and all I could think about was what if it was her?” he paused. “That could have been my mom, Betty. She left when I was younger. She was never around and yet somehow the second I saw that woman laying there, all I could picture was the last time I saw my mother. I was shocked and I was so overwhelmed by this wave emotions I had buried deep of inside me that I couldn’t even stay at the scene. Archie had to complete the call and he dropped me off at my apartment,” he paused again, exhaling like every word that came out of his mouth was physically painful to say. 

 

She reached up to cup his cheek, rubbing the pad of her thumb over it affectionately. Betty knew that Jughead’s childhood was rough, especially once he was a teenager, but she didn’t know much else or the extent it had affected him until now. Her heart broke for the vision of a boy in her head with wavy midnight black hair and ice blue eyes, yearning for the mother who wouldn’t return. 

 

“And you decided to come here?” Betty asked, encouraging him to continue. 

 

Jughead nodded. “I didn’t want to be at my apartment last night and all I could think about, all I wanted- was you. I  _ needed you _ in a way I’ve never let myself need somebody before and when I came over here and made love to you, I was a fucking mess. That was wrong of me Betts, I shouldn’t have buried myself in you, in us like that. It wasn’t fair.”

 

“Jug-” she started to say but he cut her off.

 

“Please Betty, just let me get all of this out.” She nodded silently in agreement and he continued, “Afterwards, when you were asking me to share what happened with you, these dark voices in my head just kept telling me that I didn’t deserve you and I was so broken in that moment that I believed them. I meant what I said last night, I don't think I’ve ever been a good man. Certainly not good enough for someone like you Betty but I want to be. You have to believe me, I want to be the kind of man that deserves someone as great as you. I really do.” 

 

Betty felt tears well up, stinging her eyes. “You are good enough for me Jughead,” she spoke softly.

 

Jughead put his arm around the middle of her back, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Look I’ll be apologizing for it for the rest of my life but I’m really sorry. I’m sorry for feeling like I needed to shield you from what I was going through or... my darkness.”

 

Betty brushed her nose against his, loving him more in that raw and vulnerable moment than she ever thought possible.  

 

“I can handle it,” she assured him, her voice soft but serious. 

 

“I know,” he said pressing a feather light kiss to her lips. “I know you can.” 

 

Jughead trailed light kisses down the column of her neck, gently pushing her shoulder until she was laying on her back again. His lips were sealed over her pulse point as he stayed there for a few moments, biting and sucking until there was an angry purple mark marring her porcelain skin. Each time Jughead’s tongue swiped across her skin, Betty felt like he left a trail of electricity in his wake. Her whole body felt like it was tingling, yet the majority of the heat was focused at the apex of her thighs.

 

“Juggie please,” she said breathlessly. 

 

Jughead smirked and moved back up to her ear. “I’m going to worship every inch of you baby.” 

 

Betty couldn’t help but moan at his deliciously dark and promising words. 

 

He continued his slow descent again, starting with her breasts, licking one nipple in a swirling motion while twisting and lightly pinching the other. Betty’s hips bucked wildly off the mattress and she mewled beneath him. She knew he wanted to take his time, she wanted to give him that, but she also didn’t know how long she was going to last. She put her hands around each of his forearms, just below the elbow, halting his movements. 

 

“I know you said you want to worship every inch of me Jug, and I love that, but I really feel like I am going to combust any second here,” she said sheepishly. 

 

He gave her a playful, lopsided grin. “I thought you said we had time.” 

 

“Oh we do,” she quipped, “all night in fact, so we can hurry this one along.” 

 

Jughead laughed, “Eager tonight are we?” 

 

Betty bit her bottom lip and nodded. Jughead shook his head again, smirking at her before he moved to go down on her. She stopped him again. 

 

“Actually, I... I wanted to try something new,” she said hesitantly, her voice small. 

 

“Oh?” he asked. 

 

Betty blushed crimson. “Yeah,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

 

“Tell me.” Jughead said softly. 

 

“I want to use you and make myself cum.” 

 

“Use me?”

 

“Do you trust me?” she asked. Jughead swallowed thickly and nodded. “Then let me do this.”

 

“O-okay,” he said, putting his arms on either side of her so that he was directly over her. “I’m all yours.” 

 

Betty shimmied herself down a little bit lower so she could firmly grasp Jughead’s erection and guide it in a circular motion over her clit. She was already soaked, still alight from his assault on her skin just minutes before. The tip of his cock was coated in her sheen and it slid easily against her most sensitive area.

 

Jughead squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. “Fuck-” he groaned. 

 

Betty continued the motion, lifting her hips and moving faster. She closed her eyes and focused on the way Jughead’s tip felt sliding against her throbbing center. It was not long at all before she felt the pressure building and found herself moaning his name. Before she could even come down from her high, thighs still quaking as her body trembled, he pressed his lips to hers, plunging his tongue into her mouth for a fervent kiss. 

 

“Jesus, baby,” he growled as he pulled away, “that was so fucking hot.” 

 

Jughead brought one of her legs up to hook around his thigh and then slid into her effortlessly, pushing himself in at a slow, controlled pace. After her earlier orgasm, she was already hypersensitive and the feeling of him filling her, stretching her tight walls so soon made her cry out with pleasure. 

 

Once he was inside of her fully, deep and to the hilt, he pulled back  at the same agonizingly slow pace until he was almost all the way out before pushing back into her. He did the same thing, burying himself and pulling back far enough to nearly lose contact a few times and the sheer amount of pleasure she felt from the drawn out thrusts made Betty’s eyes roll into the back of her head. 

 

Without warning, Jughead suddenly picked up his rhythm, slamming into her at a relentless pace. 

 

“Oh my god, Jughead!” she yelled, praying to the heavens above that Archie and Veronica hadn’t come home yet. 

 

She felt herself building again, something she couldn’t even believe was possible so quick. When she had been with other people in the past, she was lucky if she even achieved an orgasm at all. However, every time she had been with Jughead, he always took care of her needs first and made sure she’d come once - if not twice - before he allowed himself to get off. Each penetrating thrust pushed her higher and higher toward the brink of release and she moaned loudly again as she felt her body start to shake. Jughead’s own rhythm began to falter and she knew he could cum at any moment, she just had to hold on a little longer. 

 

“Come for me Betts,” he growled through gritted teeth. 

 

Her nails dug into his shoulders as she clung desperately to his sturdy frame. Jughead pressed his face into her neck, groaning loudly as she felt herself clench around his length, pulling his release right out of him as Betty’s crashed over her. The pressure inside of her snapped again and she clung to Jughead desperately as she rode out her earth shattering climax. Her walls fluttered as he spilled inside of her. They laid there, connected in the most intimate way as they came down from their intense euphoria of lust and desire. 

 

Jughead gently lifted himself off of her and landed on the bed next to Betty. They were both covered in sweat, still breathing heavy as they tried to calm their racing hearts. 

 

“That was amazing,” Betty breathed, turning on her side and lacing her fingers into his. 

 

Jughead brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. “You’re amazing.” 

 

She laughed. “You’re such a cheeseball.” 

 

He grinned at her and then rolled onto his back, staring back up at the ceiling again.  

 

After a few comfortable minutes of silence between them, Jughead gave her hand a little squeeze. 

 

“Hey Betts, can I ask you something?” he said quietly. 

 

Betty turned to face him again. “Anything.” 

 

“Can you promise me that no matter what happens from now on that you’ll be patient with me?” 

  
  


“Why would you ask that, Juggie?” Her voice was tender as she asked, curiosity simply getting the better of her. 

 

“Because,” Jughead started, bringing his free hand up to stroke her cheek. “Elizabeth Cooper, I’m falling for you. I’m falling hard and as much as I want to do this right, I know I’m going to screw up along the way and I’m hoping you’ll be patient with me.” 

 

Betty felt her throat tighten as tears came unbidden to her eyes.  _ This is what it was like to be in love with someone, _ she thought to herself. To be raw, vulnerable, and even a little afraid. It was hard trusting someone with your whole heart, relinquishing control and giving them all of the power to break it; taking it one day at a time together because all you want to do is care and love one another while navigating this crazy thing called life, not as two separate people, but as one singular unit.  

 

“Of course I can,” she said, placing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. 

 

Jughead pulled her against his chest before placing a affectionate, chaste kiss on the side of her forehead and sighing contentedly. 

 

Not even a beat later he cleared his throat, “So uh, round two in the shower?” 

 

Betty burst into laughter, playfully swatting him on the chest. “You’re not serious. Are you?” 

 

“As a heart attack Cooper. I am gross and I wouldn’t mind a little help washing myself if you catch my drift.” 

 

Betty paused for only a moment until he looked down at her with one eyebrow raised. 

 

“Last one’s there is a rotten egg!” she yelled as she jumped out of bed and headed for the door. 

 

Jughead grabbed her around the waist just as she opened the door, picking her up bridal style and walking them into the bathroom across the hall. Her last thought before Jughead sealed his lips over hers was that she hoped that no matter how their life unfolded, they would always be this silly and playful.

 

***

 

Jughead woke slowly the next morning, tendrils of sunlight peeking through the curtains, illuminating the disheveled bedding from last night’s antics and Betty’s toned body. She was positively bare, curled into his side and still soundly asleep. He stared down at her for a long moment, admiring the way her chest rose and fell with each breath. After their romp in the shower the night before, they had ended up back in bed. They were insatiable for each other, round after round ending with loud cries and cathartic release. When they finally drifted off to sleep, shortly before the sun rose for the day, he held her close, limbs tangled and bodies molded together as if they were matching pieces to a puzzle. 

 

He was undoubtedly falling for her, or maybe he had already fallen, it didn’t really matter in that moment, all he could think about was how lucky he really was. Few people find what he found in her 

 

He brought a hand up, brushing a wayward strand of blonde hair from her forehead and tucking it behind her ear before trailing a finger down her jaw. Her eyes fluttered open, lids still heavy with sleep as she looked up at him.

 

“G’morning,” she whispered, lifting her chin and laying it on his chest. 

 

“How’d you sleep?” 

 

“Like a rock,” she laughed lightly and rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes. “I could get used to this,” she whispered.

 

“Me too.”

 

She leaned up to kiss him softly. When she tried to pull back, Jughead sunk his fingers into the hairs at the nape of her neck, applying more pressure and deepening the kiss. He didn’t care if they had morning breath, they had only been asleep a few hours anyway and the idea of Betty, naked, pressed up against him, covered by nothing but her thin cotton sheets had him hard before she ever even woke up. 

 

He tilted her head to side, directing her with the soft pressure of his thumb and angling her chin upward. Jughead trailed soft kisses from her mouth, to her jaw, down the column of her neck and over his marks from the night before. He kissed every inch of her he could reach, moving onto the collarbone, nipping lightly at the thin skin as she moaned softly. The sound was melodic and when her leg came up to rub against his crotch, all bets were off. 

 

He cupped the back of her knee, dragging her leg over his hardened length until it settled on the other side of him. She straddled him, grinding down against him without any barriers between them.

 

“Fuck, Betts,” he groaned. 

 

“Betttyyyyy?!” they both heard Veronica call at the same time, stilling their sensual motions and freezing them in place. “Betty? Betty?” she called again, the volume increasing in time with the click of her heels coming down the hallway.

 

Next they heard Archie say, “Wait- this is Jughead’s shirt.” 

 

“Shit,” she breathed, jumping off of him and wrapping the sheet around her. “I’ll be right there, V!” 

 

Betty grabbed a simple dress from her closet, tossing it over her head and pulling it down quickly while Jughead tugged on his boxers and jeans from the night before. She walked over to her dresser, rifling through her underwear drawer as he came up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the lingering hints of vanilla on her skin from their shower. He was still aroused as the memory resurfaced again that morning and he pulled her back to him just enough so she could feel what she did to him.

 

“Juggie,” she sighed, “we have to go out there. Trust me, I’d stay in here if we could but our clothes are still in the hallway so I’d say it’s about time to sit them down and tell them what’s been going on.”

 

She selected a lacy white pair of underwear, freeing herself from his grasp and pulling them on. He gripped her by the ellbow and pulled her back over to him, cupping her face in his hands and leaning down to press a light kiss to her lips.

 

“I’m ready if you are,” he whispered, his breath fanning over her lips and she leaned up to connect them once more with force. Just as he slid his tongue against her bottom lip, before she could even open her mouth, a loud, persistent knock sounded at the door, breaking their moment. 

 

“Coming,” she called in a sing-song voice.

 

As soon as the door opened, they were met with the sight of Archie and Veronica, holding their clothes from the night before and shooting them both knowing smiles. 

 

“I’m sure you have questions,” Betty said with a smile.

 

“Uh, questions, congratulations, advice, and tips - to be exact,” Veronica giggled, winding her arm through Betty’s and steering them into the living room, leaving Archie holding Jughead’s shirt in the hallway. 

 

“Thanks, man,” Jughead said, grabbing the shirt and tugging it over his head.

 

“So you and Betty, huh?” Archie grinned.

 

“Yeah. Me and Betty.”

 

“I’m happy for you man. She seems really great. You deserve someone great and I always knew-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jughead cut him off, shaking his head before laughing and following the girls into the living room.

 

They all settled into the room, Jughead and Betty on the loveseat and Archie and Veronica on the couch. 

 

“So now tell me, Jughead,” Veronica started, eyeing as she went. “How long has this been going on and what are you intentions with Elizabeth?”

 

Betty burst out laughing and Jughead couldn’t hold back his own chuckle. It was sweet really, Veronica playing the potential mother in law for his inquiry. 

 

He cleared his throat and feigned seriousness, “Well, ma’am. This has been going on for a little while now and my intentions aren’t entirely pure.”

 

“Well, no shit,” Veronica teased. “I found your wardrobe in my hallway so I’d say pure is not the proper adjective for this particular scenario. In all seriousness Betty, why didn’t you tell me?”

 

Betty and Jughead smiled at each other, “We wanted to make sure we figured out what we were before we dragged you guys into it, too. I mean I love you, V. But you are self admittedly overbearing sometimes and this was new,” she answered, motioning between the two of them.

 

“I’ll accept that,” Veronica stated matter of factly.

 

“You didn’t tell me either,” Archie added, staring at Jughead.

 

“Really, Arch?” Jughead teased. 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Archie shot back defiantly.

 

Veronica looked at him and laughed. “Oh, Archiekins. We all know you can’t keep a secret to save your life. That’s one of the things I love about you,” she said sweetly, shattering his friend’s stone cold facade before focusing on them again. “So, we’re having this talk now, does that mean that you two have figured out ‘what you are’ as you so eloquently put it?”

 

Jughead reached for Betty’s hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently. He caught her gaze as they shared a small smile. 

 

In unison, they both said, “Yes.” 

 

Veronica’s squeal was lost somewhere outside of their private little haze as Jughead leaned forward to place a light, lingering kiss to her forehead.

 

Coincidental circumstance landed them on that road the fateful day he wrote her bratty alterego the ticket, but something bigger was at work behind the scenes. Everything in Jughead told him that she was his destiny, that their paths would have crossed as many times as they needed to before finally merging, simply because that’s the way it was meant to be. Or at least, sitting on the couch in her apartment with their friends, it sure felt as if it was meant to be. Serendipitous, one might say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone!!! 
> 
> So?!?!!??! What did you all think?! 
> 
> First and foremost, we want to personally thank all of our readers who were with us every step of this crazy collaboration. S&S brought us together, so it is always going to be special in our hearts and we are so happy that you were here to experience the magic with us :)
> 
> Second, thank you to those of you in the past & future for leaving a kudo or a comment and everyone on Tumblr who showed their endless support for this fic - we love you!!! 
> 
> We hoped you loved reading the ending as much as we loved writing it! We look forward to reading your thoughts and comments as we bring this story to a close :)
> 
> All our love<3
> 
> K+P

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!
> 
> Soooo, what did you guys think?! If you like it, please leave a comment & let us know!
> 
> Tumblr handles: @peaceblessingspeyton & @bugggghead


End file.
